[Post-traumatic stress disorder: a problem for occupational medicine]

The impact of the mental stress on the human functioning and health has been evidenced in numerous studies. The majority of these studies focus on adverse effects of a long-term stress. Recently, a growing attention has been paid to the relationship between health and acute stress induced by sudden and short-lasting events or experiences characterised by particular intensity. A traumatic stress is one of the forms of the acute stress. It is some kind of reaction to an event in which life of an individual is directly threatened (serious injury, endangered physical integrity, etc.) or he/she witnesses sudden death, serious injury or life-threatening situation of other people. Traumatic experiences may lead among others to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The review of the studies, presented in this paper, indicates that the proportion of people with traumatic experiences ranges between 40 and 90% depending on the population. There are professions (rescue services, the police, etc.) with inherent traumatic experiences. About 10% of people with traumatic experiences develop PTSD. The author indicates factors responsible for the development of PTSD. The society, particularly people whose professions involve traumatic experiences, and those employed in various institutions responsible for health care should be aware of health problems related to this kind of experiences.