Road to recovery. Post-traumatic stress disorder: the hidden victim.

1. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by the development of a set of specific symptoms following a psychologically distressing event that is outside the range of usual human experience. 2. Recovery does not seem to feel as difficult or overwhelming if it is approached "one day at a time." 3. The psychologic damage that occurs in PTSD is due primarily to holding the experiences inside, "stuffing" them down through various psychodynamics, or keeping the experiences subdued through addictive behaviors. 4. PTSD among Vietnam veterans is not a mental illness; it is a reaction to extreme stress and a reaction to keeping memories stuffed down and not allowed to surface.