What You Should Know this PTSD Awareness Day Published June 26, 2015 TRICARE WASHINGTON -- To bring greater awareness to the issue of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the United States Senate designated June 27 as National PTSD Awareness Day. June has been designated as PTSD Awareness Month by the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD). PTSD is an intense physical and emotional response to thoughts and reminders of a traumatic event that can last for weeks or months after the event. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the symptoms of PTSD fall into four broad categories: re-living, avoidance, disturbed thoughts or moods, and increased sensitivity or arousal. Re-living an event includes having flashbacks, nightmares and extreme emotional and physical reactions to reminders of the event. Avoidance includes staying away from anything; activities, places and even feelings, which remind you of the traumatic event. Someone with PTSD may experience recurring negative beliefs or emotions or feel detached from others; they may be easily startled or overly alert, have difficulty sleeping, suffer from irritability or be unable to concentrate on routine tasks. If you or a family member has PTSD, you may also have noticed some of these symptoms and perhaps also panic attacks, depression, substance abuse or even suicidal thoughts. Help is available. You can call a crisis hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or make an appointment to see your primary care manager. TRICARE covers mental health care that is medically necessary, and effective treatments for PTSD include both talk therapy and/or medication. Visit the Covered Treatments page on the TRICARE website to learn about what treatments for PTSD are covered.