By CAPT(ret) Mary Smart, NFRW Armed Services Committee
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has existed for millennia but has only been acknowledged medically as a disease in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) since 1980. PTSD has been known by many names: railway spine, shell shock, and combat fatigue. However, this disorder can be the result of a myriad of traumatic events such as a natural disaster, near-fatal accident, terrorist insurrection and war, sexual violence, or serious threats to a person or their family.