Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined by the DSM-5 as exposure to an actual or threatened traumatic event either personally, witnessing first-hand, learning second-hand, or via overexposure in their day-to-day work. While up to 90% of the general population in the United States has been exposed to a traumatic event in their lifetime, PTSD is only present in 7.8 percent of adults in America. In the general population, women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD at some point during their lifetime. Research shows that there is no significant gender gap in PTSD prevalence in male and female soldiers except for when it comes to rape. The majority of research used in this presentation compares PTSD among males and females based on levels of cortisol responses following exposure treatment. Stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis shows exaggerated cortisol responses. Research points to disruption in the HPA axis that causes a person to experience PTSD triggers that are not real. This is what leads to an excess of cortisol release in the individual. The type of traumatic stress experienced points to what initiates the cortisol response when confronted with the trauma-related material and the type of therapy that is best for treating the PTSD symptoms.
