Unfortunately, many people who live with PTSD don’t receive the treatment they need because they don’t recognise their symptoms, may not know that treatments can help them, or avoid reaching out for help due to the stigma surrounding the condition.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of mental health condition that can develop after a traumatic event. It happens when fear, anxiety and memories of a traumatic event don't go away. The feelings last for a long time and interfere with how people cope with everyday life.
Fact: Not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD, but about 5-10% of Australians will at some point in their lives. That means that at any one time over 1 million Australians are living with PTSD.
Fact: While intrusive reminders are certainly a symptom, they don’t necessarily mean a person is experiencing PTSD. Generally, for a person to be diagnosed with PTSD, they need to experience these symptoms for at least a month:
Fact: Psychological trauma comes in many forms and impacts people from all walks of life. Trauma can have a devastating effect on people’s lives. Any one of us can be affected and the psychological impacts can be deep and complex.
Traumatic experiences can include - but aren’t limited to - a serious accident, physical assault, natural disasters, war, experiencing sexual assault or abuse, or witnessing the trauma of others. They can affect any of us physically and emotionally, and the way we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. Even learning about these types of events can be traumatic for people, especially if they happen to a close family member or friend, or hear extreme details over time.
Fact: If someone experiences a traumatic event, it's commonly believed that signs of PTSD will show up soon after. But that's not always true, as some people may not exhibit symptoms for years - for example, childhood trauma can continue to affect adults many years after the traumatic event happened. This is called delayed onset PTSD, and it's diagnosed when the condition develops at least six months after the traumatic event.
Fact: By reaching out for help and receiving the right support, people living with PTSD can live full and meaningful lives. Effective treatments for PTSD include counselling, medication or a combination of both. These treatments can work even if your traumatic experience was a long time ago.
If you’ve experienced something traumatic and are still experiencing symptoms of depression for more than two weeks after the event, talk to your GP or a mental health professional.
batyr is a youth mental health organisation driven by young people for young people. We empower young people to take charge of their mental health early and often.
The information on this page is intended as a general guide only and is not a substitute for professional, personalised mental health support.
If you need support, visit our Get Support page for a comprehensive list of free, confidential mental health services available to you.