PTSD stands for post-traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety disorder caused by trauma a person has not fully recovered from. The hallmark signs are repeated nightmares, flashbacks, and hypervigilance. Some key differences to note is that people who have this disorder experience changes in their brain: an overactive amygdala combined with an underactive prefrontal cortex results in heightened anxiety related to anything that resembles the trauma, getting spooked easily, and avoidance of situations that trigger heightened emotional reactions.

While PTSD is commonly associated with soldiers returning home from combat, they are not the only ones affected. Here are five misconceptions that need to be debunked about this mental illness.