History

Post-Traumatic Stress disorder has an interesting and complex history that dates back to historical experiences of trauma. During World War I, the term "shell shock" emerged to describe the distress soldiers experienced from the harsh conditions of war. However, it wasn't until after the Viet Nam War that it gained proper recognition as an actual psychiatric disorder. It started a significant shift in understanding the long-term effects of traumatic events in the psychological field.

PTSD was properly introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in it's third edition (DMS-III) in 1980. The third version represented a major revision that wanted to display diagnostic reliability and validity. It's inclusion showed a growing awareness withing the psychiatric community about the importance of trauma and it's effects, beyond military experiences. The growing awareness allowed room for a better understanding of trauma-related mental health issues and has paved way for better treatments and support systems for PTSD.