According to the National Institute of Mental Health, risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder include:
* Enduring dangerous events and traumas
* Having a history of mental illness
* Getting injured
* Seeing people injured or killed
* Experiencing feelings of horror, helplessness or extreme fear
* Receiving little or no social support after a traumatic event
* Enduring extra stress after the event (loss of a loved one, physical pain, loss of job or home)
The NIMH also notes that several ways cope with PTSD:
* Seeking out support from friends, family, support groups and others
* Feeling good about one’s responses in the face of danger
* Having a coping strategy or way of enduring the traumatic event and learning from it
* Being able to carry on despite feeling fear.
