Post-traumatic stress disorder is a real mental illness that needs to be taken more seriously. Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental illness that can develop in people who have experienced a traumatic event in their life. There are some people who believe that PTSD is not a real illness and that it is an excuse for someone's behavior. This idea is incorrect. PTSD can severely affect how a person lives in reality. It is not a new disability to society, however it has recently been recognized. The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology states, “Posttraumatic stress disorder has been classified as an anxiety disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association since 1980.” (505).Many people simply don't understand what PTSD really is. If someone doesn't know what PTSD is, how can they understand it? PTSD is an anxiety disorder whose symptoms can vary widely, however the International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family classifies them into three groups. “Symptoms are classified into three groups: persistent reexperiencing of the stressor, persistent avoidance of reminders and emotional numbness, and persistent symptoms of increased arousal.” (1250). When people fall into the category of persistent re-experiencing they can experience many things such as; traumatic nightmares, flashbacks, or daydreams in which you relive the trauma as if it were recurring in the present. These are just some of the symptoms you can expect from this category of PTSD symptoms. With PTSD there is what is called “the trigger.” This is a person, place, object, or even a scent that triggers PTSD reactions. This trigger can be anything, even just a medium of paper, to understand them in a safe environment. Not everyone will suffer from PTSD their entire lives; some may be only a few years or months old. The point is to seek professional help instead of trying to do everything yourself. It may seem like PTSD controls a person's life, but with the right tools people can take back control of their lives and keep PTSD to a minimum level. PTSD is a real mental illness. It needs to be taken more seriously for the sake of the public. With greater public awareness people would be able to find and seek help. They would understand that what they have is an illness. Soldiers should not be ashamed to ask for help, but instead know the severity of their situation. PTSD is an illness that most will have to live with for the rest of their lives. That doesn't mean we can't make their lives a little easier by understanding what they're going through.