Overview of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Description and History Trauma and stress have been part of the human condition for as long as we have evolved as a species. A “fight or flight” response to trauma and stress is a healthy reaction that is intended to protect us from danger. Whether it is a saber-toothed tiger attack, a fight, or a terrorist attack, such events will certainly produce similar psychological effects. However, individuals who develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may continue to feel tormented when they are no longer in danger. PTSD is not a new concept and we can see signs of this disorder as early as the Bible (the Book of Job), the Mahabharata, Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. As the years passed, new names were given to this disorder. For example, names like "Soldiers Heart", "Estar Roto", "Combat Exhaustion" and "Shell Shock". Perhaps the most infamous was "Shell Shock". Before mental illness was understood, soldiers returning from war who were unable to recover were labeled useless and weak. It was only with the modern warfare of World War I and the advent of modern psychology that experts became aware of the existence of mental illness (Gersons, 1992). In 1915, Charles Myers coined the term “Shell Shocked” to describe welders who were fearful, cried, and had persistent memory intrusions. The name "shell shock" was given because explosions of ammunition, bombs and concussive force were thought to be affecting soldiers. It was not until World War II and then the Vietnam War that researchers realized that this problem may be an “anxiety disorder” rather than a short-term adjustment (Trimble, 1986). These wars gave a huge boost to PTSD research, because you could find a large number of people suffering... middle of paper... ir. Perf. Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini and Rosie Perez. Warner Bro., 1993. Videocassette.Gersons, BP and IV Carlier. "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The History of a Recent Concept." The British Journal of Psychiatry 161.6 (1992): 742-48. Print.Kuhne, Arthur, Elizabeth Baraga, and John Czekala. “Completeness and internal consistency of DSM-III criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder.” Journal of Clinical Psychology 44.5 (1988): 717-22. Print.Schwartz, Lee S. “A Biopsychosocial Treatment Approach to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” Journal of Traumatic Stress 3.2 (1990): 221-38. Print.Trimble, M. “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the War Veteran Patient.” Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 49.7 (1986): 851. Print.Turnbull, Gordon J. “The Biology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” Psychiatry 5.7 (2006): 221-24. Press.