PTSD
| Tropes and genres | |
|---|---|
| Synonym(s) | Post Traumatic Stress Disorder |
| Related tropes/genres | Served in Combat, Shell Shocked |
| See also | Angst, Hurt/Comfort |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and is a mental health condition. PSTD is often used in fanfiction to explore the consequences of traumatic events that have effected the characters, especially if the consequences are not addressed in canon. It was originally used solely in stories focusing on former soldiers, but as the general public had a greater understanding of the condition it is now often used in a larger variety of examples.
As of March 2019, there are over 41,000 works in the PTSD tag on AO3. The most commonly tagged fandoms are Marvel Cinematic Universe and related fandoms such as The Avengers, and Captain America, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Harry Potter, and Supernatural, though these numbers may have more to do with the popularity of those fandoms. The most common additional tags in PTSD works are Angst, and Hurt/Comfort.
In Canon
- Takashi Shirogane in Voltron: Legendary Defender is a canonical sufferer of PTSD due to his capture by the Galra and being forced to fight in a gladiator arena. This is heavily touched on in an episode of the first season.
- Tony Stark suffers from PTSD both in the Marvel Comics and the MCU
- In Star Trek: Deep Space 9, the Cardassian military officer Gul Dukat develops a severe case of PTSD after his second-in-command Damar shot his daughter Tora Ziyal
Fandom & Character Examples
- A common interpretation of the character Faye in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is that she suffers from PTSD due to her and her friends being attacked by an evil knight as children.
- Rick from Simon & Simon is often portrayed as having PTSD due to having served in the military.
- Everyone in Attack on Titan
- Everyone in The Last of Us