To be diagnosed with PTSD, you had to have had exposure to an upsetting, traumatic event. This event could be both direct or indirect. For example, you could also develop PTSD from learning about a close family member or friends’ violent death versus having had that experience yourself.
1 Another example is the repeated exposure of violent details of trauma, such as police officers or social workers being exposed to excruciating details of child abuse. PTSD can also occur over time and doesn’t necessarily manifest as the reaction of one particular incident.
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