according to veterans affairs (2023) about one in one hundred americans live with ptsd. ptsd stands for posttraumatic stress disorder. it is much more widely known than it used to be. ptsd is " a disorder that may result when an individual lives through or witnesses an event in which he or she believes that there is a threat to life or physical integrity and safety and experiences fear, terror, or helplessness" (american psychological association, 2023, para. 1). southwick and charney (2018) also described those with ptsd as survivors who have gone through intense types of traumas that has caused them to relive their experience often through nightmares and/or flashbacks where they are replaying the scene.

just like any other disease, ptsd can affect people differently but overall, the symptoms are fairly similar. the major symptoms of ptsd include reliving and flashbacks of the traumatic event(s), avoiding situations that remind the person of the event(s), having new or worsening intrusive thoughts after the event(s), and being in a constant state of physiological disruption or turmoil. 

there are many professions that have a higher chance of individuals having ptsd. these jobs include the military, fire fighters, police, first responders, nurses, emergency room staff, nicu and icu nurses, emts, and journalists. i did not think of journalists being at a high risk for ptsd, but delray beach psychiatrist (2020) wrote that since journalists work around those who experience trauma that they are at risk for secondhand ptsd. another interesting fact about those who have a higher risk of ptsd is stated by veteran affairs (2023), "women are more likely to develop ptsd than men. about 8 of every 100 women (or 8%) and 4 of every 100 men (or 4%) will have ptsd at some point in their life. this is in part due to the types of traumatic events that women are more likely to experience—such as sexual assault—compared to men" (para. 10). many of these individuals will experience trauma first hand. for police and military, it may be a shooting. for fire fighters, it may be barely making it out of a burning building. for the medical personal, it may be loosing a patient or even seeing what that patient has gone through and developing second hand ptsd.