Why women are more at risk of PTSD – and how to prevent it

“THINK of the most scared you’ve ever been, and imagine that happening all the time,” says Kerry Ressler. “You have intrusive terror and nightmares, and the threat of imminent death starts to take over your life.”

That is the horrific reality of post-traumatic stress disorder. But while we tend to think of PTSD primarily as a condition that afflicts soldiers – most of whom are men – more than two-thirds of people with the condition are women. So what puts women at greater risk?

Now, by looking at genetics, hormones, early childhood experiences and even the type of trauma, we are starting to find some answers. These insights are not only shedding light on how PTSD affects everyone, but opening avenues to better treatment – and even ways to prevent it.

As many as 24 million adults in the US have PTSD at any one time. Most people will face trauma at some point, but for roughly one in 13 of us that will lead to PTSD. These types of events tend to be unpredictable and uncontrollable, and the person often feels their life is threatened. But Ressler, who studies the condition at Harvard Medical School, says there is no precise formula. “Anything horrible can trigger PTSD.”

People with PTSD often have intrusive thoughts, as memories come back to haunt them during waking hours and in nightmares. They tend to…