PTSD can be caused by a range of experiences, from a car crash to rape to surviving a terrorist attack. But how do you know if you have it and what can you do?

Animal and human studies have shown that both early-life traumatic events and ongoing stress episodes affect neurodevelopment, however, it remains unclear whether and how they modulate normative adolescent neuro-maturational trajectories. We characterized effects of early-life (age 0–5) and ongoing stressors (age 14–17) on longitudinal changes (age 14 to17) in grey matter volume (GMV) of healthy adolescents (n = 37). Timing and stressor type were related to differential GMV changes.

BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) robustly predict future morbidity and mortality. Researchers are just beginning to investigate intergenerational effects. We hypothesize there are intergenerational associations between parent ACE exposure and worse child health, health behaviors, and health care access and use.

In some cases childbirth leads to negative psychological responses such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a common and major complication of childbirth, which occasionally requires emergency hysterectomy in severe cases. Patients often describe these complications as a traumatic experience. It is unknown whether PPH is a risk factor for developing PTSD.