After experiencing a traumatic event the mind has been known to pack away the details and memories and then send them back at unexpected times and places, sometimes after years have passed. It does so in a haunting way that makes the recall just as disturbing as the original event. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the name for this mental condition that follows a psychologically distressing event "outside the range of usual human experience" (Internet). There are five diagnostic criteria for this disorder and there are no cures for this affliction, only therapies that lessen the burden of the symptoms.
The root of the disorder is a traumatic event which implants itself so firmly in the mind that the person may be shackled by the pain and distress of the event indefinitely, experiencing it again and again as the mind stays connected with the past rather than the present, making it difficult to think of the future. Research on this topic is all rather recent, yet the disorder is quite common, threatening to control and damage the lives of approximately eight percent of the American population [5% of men and 10% of women].
Any person is a potential candidate for developing PTSD if subject to enough stress. There is no predictor or determining factor as to who will develop PTSD and who will not. Although all people who suffer from it have experienced a traumatic event, not all people who experience a traumatic event will develop PTSD. Each person's individual capacity for coping with tragic events determines their risk of acquiring PTSD. Not everyone will experience the same symptoms; some may suffer only a few mild symptoms for a short period of time, others may be completely absorbed, still others who experience great trauma may never develop any symptoms at all. More than any other psychological problem, symptoms are a reaction to an overwhelming external event, or series of events.