78, 921. Seventy-eight thousand nine hundred and twenty-one. This is the number of soldiers who were wounded or killed in action, had an amputation, or suffered a traumatic brain injury during Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. What this number does not include are the 39,365 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (more commonly known as post-traumatic stress disorder). (Department 2009) Although we usually think of war injuries as physical, one of the most common war injuries is post-traumatic stress disorder, and the effects can be devastating for a redeployed soldier who has come into contact with severely traumatic. PTSD is an anxiety disorder in which patients who have experienced extremely frightening, threatening, or traumatic situations show signs of avoidance and hyperarousal. The DSM IV is a book that catalogs all psychological illnesses and provides symptoms and definitions to diagnose the disorders. According to the DSM IV, “The essential feature of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor.” PTSD, like all other psychological disorders, is very difficult to diagnose due to the varying severity of the illness and the different ways it presents in a population. PTSD has many causes, all of which fall under the broader category of traumatic experiences. War veterans are the most socially recognizable patients with PTSD, but the disorder can occur in survivors of accidents and disasters and in victims of sexual assault, including about two-thirds of prostitutes. (Myers 2004). A good metaphor used by David Myers, a psychologist, compares PTSD to a metal spring. If the spring is stretched, it retracts... to the center of the paper... IMH. January 21, 2009. Web. January 4, 2010. "DSM IV Criteria of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." Mental health today: books, community, education. Network. Jan. 04, 2010. “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Diagnosis from MedicineNet.com.” Medicine Net, Inc. Web. January 04, 2010. "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Management and Support - MayoClinic.com." Medical information and tools for healthy living from Mayo Clinic - MayoClinic.com. 10 April 2009. Web. 05 January. 2010. .