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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

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The most difficult part of the law enforcement profession is that an individual can be exposed to the worst parts of life. Over his or her career, an officer may be attached by a suspect, work crime scenes and accidents with multiple fatalities and dead bodies in various states of decay, or even have to take a life in the line of duty. Each of these events can lead to long term trauma known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. There are many experiences that can cause someone to develop PTSD. Along with being exposed trauma, a key component of PTSD is reoccurring memories or thoughts of the event. Certain places, or events can trigger these memories. In the text, a military veteran and police officer was participating in a firearms simulation.

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