According to the National Institute of Mental Health, (NIMH), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of the 5 recognized types of mental illness commonly known as anxiety disorders. While these five major categories are significant, the complexity of mental disorders demand for segmentation into even more conditions.

The post-traumatic stress syndrome, or PTSD is commonly associated with veterans returning from a war zone.

Major depressive episodes often resolve over time whether or not they are treated. Outpatients on a waiting list show a 10–15% reduction in symptoms within a few months, with approximately 20% no longer meeting the full criteria for a depressive disorder. The median duration of an episode has been estimated to be 23 weeks, with the highest rate of recovery in the first three months.

It has been estimated that 30% of Vietnam war veterans, 10% Gulf war veterans, 6% to 11% Afghanistan war veterans and 12% to 20% of veterans of the Iraq war have suffered from Post Traumatic Stress disorder. This is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more terrifying events.

The history of PTSD date back to the early 1800’s where military doctors began diagnosing soldiers with “exhaustion” following the stress of battle.

According to the Expert Consensus Guidelines for the Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, behavioral therapy (BT), cognitive therapy (CT), and medications are first-line treatments for OCD. Psychodynamic psychotherapy may help in managing some aspects of the disorder, but there are no controlled studies that demonstrate effectiveness of psychoanalysis or dynamic psychotherapy in OCD.

Prognosis depends on the disorder, the individual and numerous related factors. Some disorders may be transient, while some may last a lifetime in some cases. Some disorders may be very limited in their functional effects, while others may involve substantial disability and support needs. The degree of ability or disability may vary across different life domains. Continued disability has been linked to institutionalization, discrimination and social exclusion as well as to the inherent properties of disorders.
Even those disorders often considered the most serious and intractable have varied courses. Long-term international studies of schizophrenia have found that over a half of individuals recover in terms of symptoms, and around a fifth to a third in terms of symptoms and functioning, with some requiring no medication.