LONG-LASTING HORMONAL ALTERATIONS TO EXTREME STRESS IN HUMANS - NORMATIVE OR MALADAPTIVE

The biological consequences of stress have been studied for over half a decade, however, little is known about persistent biological alterations after extreme stress in humans. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a syndrome that occurs in some individuals after exposure to extreme stress. In this review, we summarize some of our studies of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis alterations in PTSD and compare and contrast these findings with knowledge concerning biological changes following stress.