![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/81704926007.jpg\"\/)
![\"play\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/icon-play-alt-white.svg.svg+xml\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Study: Putting down your phone could improve mental health<\/p>\n
A new study published in PNAS Nexus suggests that taking a break from mobile internet can significantly boost mental health, well-being, and focus.<\/p>\n
Fox – 5 NY<\/p>\n
Trauma<\/a> comes in many forms. Natural disasters such as wildfires<\/a>, hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes can certainly be difficult life-altering events. Being diagnosed with a chronic condition or terminal illness can be incredibly distressing as well. But research\u00a0shows<\/a> that human-caused trauma such as violent altercations, physical or sexual abuse, bullying<\/a>, neglect or acts of terrorism or war usually have the greatest psychological impact and the longest-lasting traumatic effects.\u00a0<\/p>\n Such impact and effects can have a range of outcomes. For instance, especially shocking or distressing trauma can directly affect our relationships, career and feelings of self-worth. Trauma can also greatly affect our mental health and lead to diagnoses such as social anxiety<\/a>, depression, acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here’s what PTSD is, what causes it and how it’s usually treated.<\/p>\n What does PTSD mean?<\/p>\n PTSD is a psychiatric condition that can affect anyone at any age and is usually tied to a person who has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event or series of traumatic events. While trauma impacts every person differently, “PTSD affects millions of people worldwide and is more common than many realize,” says Amber McGregor, a doctor of education who helps patients with PTSD and the clinical director of 1st Priority Institute for Better Living in Colorado. Indeed, some 6% of the U.S. population will have PTSD at some point in their life, per the\u00a0U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Such people can experience a range of symptoms that often start within the first three months after a traumatic event, though sometimes won’t manifest until years later. “The after-effect of trauma can impact the mind, body and emotions in different ways and can make it difficult for someone who has experienced the trauma to feel safe or at ease, even long after the event has ended,” says Amanda Darnley, a psychologist based in Philadelphia who treats people with PTSD. To become diagnosed with PTSD, a person must have symptoms for longer than a\u00a0month, and the symptoms must be severe enough to interfere with aspects of everyday life, per the\u00a0U.S. National Institute of Mental Health<\/a>\u00a0(NIMH).\u00a0<\/p>\n