Some of the kinds of experiences that can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, a serious and impairing anxiety disorder are:

• Combat experience in a war
• Being involved in a life-threatening accident
• Being involved in a fire, flood, or natural disaster
• Witnessing someone being badly injured or killed
• Being raped (someone had sexual intercourse with you when you did not want to by threatening you or using some degree of force)
• Being sexually molested (someone touched or felt your genital when you did not want them to)
• Being seriously physically attacked or assaulted
• Being physically abused as a child
• Being seriously neglected as a child
• Being threatened with a weapon, held captive, or kidnapped

  Randall Marshall, M.D.
  Director of Trauma Studies, Anxiety Disorders Clinic
  New York State Psychiatric Institute
  College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University
  Department of Psychiatry

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