Answer to Question 1
Unfortunately for some, the reaction to traumatic stressors may result in the development of a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by a number of symptoms including persistently re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoiding stimuli correlated with the traumatic event, experiencing a general response numbing, and having persistent increased arousal. The duration of the overall symptom pattern lasts at least a month, and there is distress or impairment in one or more primary areas of functioning.
Answer to Question 2
Traumatic stressors are events such as combat, natural or human-made disasters, violent assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, torture, serious or life- threatening accidents, a life-threatening diagnosis, a close friend or relative dying suddenly and unexpectedly, being held captive perhaps as a POW or in a concentration camp, or other highly distressing experiences that can result in feelings of terror, extreme fright, or helplessness. As is the case with all stressors, a person's reaction to severe stressors is individualistic and subjective, in part, because each person appraises the stressors through the lens of his or her own belief system or world view.
Man undergoing a stress test on a treadmill while physician monitors his condition
Acute Stress, Glucocorticoid Level, Synaptic Plasticity, and Learning
Early Stress and the Prefrontal Cortex
Oxidative stress
Therapy to Prevent PTSD after Disaster
PTSD