It takes an incredibly substantial chain of events to trigger PTSD in a Veteran, starting with heredity, biology, and an exposure to trauma either in a single episode, or taken together starting in childhood and moving outward. A person does not have to directly go to war to obtain PTSD, because everyone who comes back from combat does not. 

Symptoms of PTSD include, but are not likely limited to the following:  

• Intrusive memories: Distressing and recurrent dreams that occur while awake, most typically with severe emotional or physical reactions. 

• Flashbacks: Reliving the events of a past occurrence. 

• Avoidance: Typically refers to avoiding people, places and events that can potentially trigger memories, or refusing to talk about any prior traumatic events. 

• Depression: Poor feelings, or a general sense of emotional numbness, which is coupled with a lack of interest in themselves or others, hopelessness in terms of the future, and potentially suicidal thoughts. 

• Memory problems: General holes in the memory relating to a traumatic event can be either short or long term. 

• Loss of emotional control: Highs and lows emotionally, self-sabotage, and general physical anxiety symptoms.