Pre-Traumatic-Stress Disorder

Pre-trau.mat.ic. stress dis.or.der                                                  

noun

Definition:  A condition in which a researcher experiences symptoms of trauma as they learn more about the future as it pertains to climate change and watch the world around them not making necessary precautions. Similar to Post-Tramatic Stress Disorder but preceding the actual trauma. Characterized by disturbance of sleep, constant vivid worry and dulled responses to others and to the outside day to day world and/or seemingly comparative  short term responsibilities such as: paying rent on time, attending children’s soccer games or appropriate attention to a retirement portfolio.

Usage: Suzy spent all that unusually warm winter awake in the middle of the night, reading the Science Times, it seemed like everything her friends wanted to talk about was small and irrelevant. She could not focus. She skipped work, started using her credit card irreverently, her therapist called it pre-traumatic stress disorder.

Origin: Lise Van Susteren, 2013, United States.