Phoenix Australia, world-recognised experts in trauma-related mental health research and treatment, want to drive greater understanding of the issue ahead of National Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day, on Monday 27 June 2022.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the most common mental health condition in Australia after depression, but it’s often left undiagnosed and untreated.
And while not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD, about 5-10% of Australians will suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives.
This means that at any one time over 1 million Australians have PTSD.
Ask an Australian to explain PTSD, and they’ll probably describe war veterans or disaster survivors.
And while those kinds of dramatic events can certainly result in psychological injuries such as PTSD, there are many quieter, and more common occurrences that can lead to the disorder.
Phoenix Australia director Professor David Forbes said PTSD can result from the sudden death of a loved one, witnessing or being a part of a traumatic event, or even hearing about a traumatic event happening to a loved one.