Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop in individuals who have experienced what kind of event?

• A. A terrifying ordeal
• B. A minor inconvenience
• C. A routine call
• D. A non-threatening situation

Answer: (A)

Post-traumatic stress disorder develops after exposure to a traumatic event—one that involves actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. A terrifying ordeal is exactly that kind of exposure, making it the correct choice. Minor inconveniences, routine calls, or non-threatening situations don’t meet the threshold for trauma and are not associated with PTSD in the same way. In the field, responders can develop PTSD after direct exposure to or witnessing life-threatening events, serious injuries, or deaths, which is why a terrifying ordeal is the focal type of event here.