National Center for PTSD

Most survivors of trauma experience stress reactions (such as nightmares, flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, feeling detached) yet return to normal given a little time. However, for some people these reactions do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The goal of VA's National Center for PTSD is to advance the clinical care and social welfare of America's veterans through research, education, and training on PTSD and stress-related disorders. This website is an educational resource on PTSD and traumatic stress, for veterans, as well as for mental health care providers, researchers and the general public.

NOTE: Site launch delayed due to severe weather conditions in New England. Now, as of Wed. January 17, 2007 we will be switching to our new improved Website! Please make sure if you have bookmarks/links to our inside sections or pages, that you reconnect via searching www.ncptsd.va.gov after this date, or contact us for assistance. We have improved the search function on the new site and you should be able to easily find most of the pages to which you previously linked.

Information for Veterans

This section contains information specific to trauma-related problems in veterans. Important links you will find:
Managing Stress and Recovering from Trauma
Help for Veterans with PTSD
Mental Health Impact of the Wars in Afghanistan & Iraq
Click here for Information on PTSD, including treatment. Resources for U.S. Soldiers Returning from Deployment.

NEW: Returning from the War Zone: A Guide for Military Personnel and video: Women Who Served in Our Military.

War in Iraq: Information

This section of the website contains the latest fact sheets and literature on the Global War on Terror. For example:
The Iraq War Clinican Guide, 2nd Edition, and a new guide on Returning from the War Zone: A Guide for Families

Also see the Mental Health Impact of the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and for veterans: My HealtheVet.

Natural Disasters: Devastation Around the World

NOTE: NEW Revised Psychological First Aid Manual (8/2006)! This is a guide for first responders and mental health professionals to help survivors in the immediate aftermath of disaster and terrorism: to reduce initial distress, and to foster short and long-term adaptive functioning. Complete with handouts.

2005 was a year filled with horrid disasters that caused widespread major destruction. These disasters are responsible for taking many lives and leaving millions homeless, the effects still strong today. For information on the psychological effects of natural disasters, see our section of disaster fact sheets. For donations to help survivors, contact services such as the American Red Cross, or see our Help Web Page.

SAMHSA interview with Dr. Matthew Friedman on PTSD in Disasters. (PC format presentation)

Topics in PTSD

Contains fact sheets, articles, and online resources on topics related to traumatic stress.

For the Media

Information for media personnel: how to contact public affairs, PTSD experts, and more.

National Center for PTSD Publications

Review the National Center's Research Quarterlies, Clinical Quarterlies, a selection of full text articles by National Center staff and books located in the National Center for PTSD resource center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contains the top 10 questions most frequently asked regarding information in this website.

Facts about PTSD

A complete list of fact sheets organized into the following categories: general information about PTSD, treatment, veterans, disasters, and specific topics.

PILOTS Database

Access information on how to use and search the PILOTS Database, the largest interdisciplinary index to the worldwide literature on traumatic stress, which contains over 30,000 abstracts.

PTSD Assessment

Access general information on assessment of PTSD or research instruments for PTSD.

About the National Center for PTSD

More about our mission and history, organization, annual report, and employment and training opportunities.

The information on this Web site is presented for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for informed medical advice or training. Do not use this information to diagnose or treat a mental health problem without consulting a qualified health or mental health care provider.

All information contained on these pages is in the public domain unless explicit notice is given to the contrary, and may be copied and distributed without restriction.

For more information call the PTSD Information Line at (802) 296-6300 or send email to ncptsd@ncptsd.va.gov. This page was last updated on Mon Jan 15 10:44:51 2007.