Posttraumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that has gained a lot of press since the Vietnam War. Despite the press, however, many people do not realize what this condition is and how many lives it can and does impact.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is one of several anxiety disorders
. This particular condition is widely associated with military personnel who have seen live-action combat. It is, however, an equal opportunity offender and can sideline the lives of anyone who has undergone extreme trauma.

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.

An anxiety attack, sometimes referred to as a panic attack, can be a very terrifying experience. The symptoms of anxiety attacks can be very confusing as usually the person has no idea as to why their body is reacting in the manner it is.

If you have experienced some of these unusual symptoms (below) while experiencing anxiety let me help you to understand it better and try and put your mind at ease.

The definition and classification of mental disorder is a key issue for the mental health professions and for users and providers of mental health services. Most international clinical documents use the term “mental disorder” rather than “mental illness”. There is no single definition and the inclusion criteria are said to vary depending on the social, legal and political context. In general, however, a mental disorder has been characterized as a clinically significant behavioral or psychological pattern that occurs in an individual and is usually associated with distress, disability or increased risk of suffering. The term “serious mental illness” (SMI) is sometimes used to refer to more severe and long-lasting disorder. A broad definition can cover mental disorder, mental retardation, personality disorder and substance dependence. The phrase “mental health problems” may be used to refer only to milder or more transient issues. There is often a criterion that a condition should not be expected to occur as part of a person’s usual culture or religion. Nevertheless, the term “mental” is not necessarily used to imply a distinction between mental (dys)functioning and brain (dys)functioning, or indeed between the brain and the rest of the body.

OCD manifests in a variety of forms. Studies have placed the prevalence between one and three percent, although the prevalence of clinically recognized OCD is much lower, suggesting that many individuals with the disorder may not be diagnosed. The fact that many individuals do not seek treatment may be due in part to stigma associated with OCD. Another reason for not seeking treatment is that many sufferers of OCD do not realize that they have the condition.