List of people with post-traumatic stress disorder

Many notable people have had post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. This is a list of people with verifiable sources confirming that they struggled with PTSD. In the case of historical figures, retrospective diagnoses are only included when mainstream, expert sources indicate that they probably had the disorder.

PTSD is a mental disorder which develops in the aftermath of a traumatic event, such as witnessing or experiencing warfare, sexual assault, child abuse, domestic abuse, genocide, natural disasters, traffic collisions, and so on. Not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, increased fight-or-flight response, mental and physical distress when reminded of the trauma, efforts to avoid traumatic memories or reminders of the trauma, forgetting parts of the traumatic event(s), negative beliefs about oneself and/or the world, reckless behavior, problems sleeping, irritability, negative emotional state, a feeling of being detached from others, blaming oneself for the trauma, and an inability to experience happiness or pleasure. Women are more likely to have PTSD than men.

A

 * Anthony Acevedo (1924—2018), Mexican-American soldier in WWII
 * Agar Adamson (1865—1929), Canadian soldier
 * Lily Allen (1985–), British singer
 * Denis Avey (1919—2015), British soldier and POW

B

 * Mel B (1975–), English singer-songwriter
 * Kelsea Ballerini (1993–), American singer
 * Mischa Barton (1986–), British-American actor
 * Derek Bell (1963–), English footballer
 * Donald Bolduc (1961 or 1962–), American politician
 * Kate Bornstein (1948–), American performance artist and writer
 * Gregory Boyington (1912-1988), American aviator and World War Two fighter ace. Never diagnosed, but he displayed all the classical symptoms of PTSD. He once said Show me a hero and I'll show you a bum.
 * Abigail Breslin (1996–), American actor and singer
 * Jasper Brett (1895–1917), Irish rugby player
 * Kylar Broadus (1963—), American attorney
 * Joseph Brodak, American bank robber
 * Chris Brown (1989—), American singer-songwriter
 * Damien Brown (1984—), Australian mixed martial artist
 * Nish Bruce (1956–2002), British Army soldier and skydiver
 * Germán Busch (1903—1939), Bolivian military officer and 36th president of Bolivia

C

 * Pedro Cano (1920—1952), Mexican-American soldier in WWII
 * Joseph Cao (1967—), Vietnamese-American politician
 * Lynda Cash (1949 or 1950—), British Royal Navy sailor
 * William H. Christian (1825–1887), American Brigadier General during the Civil War
 * Circuit Des Yeux (1988—), American vocalist, composer, and singer-songwriter
 * Daisy Coleman (1997–2020), American activist for sexual assault victims
 * Kayden Coleman (1986—), American social media influencer and transgender rights advocate
 * Roger Cooper, British businessman
 * Leela Corman (1972—), American cartoonist
 * Charly Cox (1995—), British mental health activist
 * Chris Cramer (1948–2021), British news journalist and executive
 * James Credle (1945–), American activist for veterans and LGBT people

D

 * Roméo Dallaire (1946–), Canadian humanitarian and politician
 * Tony Dell (1945–), Australian cricketer
 * Norbert Denef (1949—), German advocate against sex abuse in the Roman Catholic church
 * Beth Dobbin (1994—), Scottish sprinter
 * Mark L. Donald (1967—), American Navy SEAL
 * Taylor Dumpson (1995 or 1996—), American attorney.
 * Alastair Duncan (1952—2016), British Army officer

E

 * Lynndie England (1982–), American war criminal who participated in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
 * Rubén Espinosa (1983—2015), Mexican photographer and journalist
 * Sara Evans (1971–), American singer-songwriter

F

 * George Farmer, British acuascaper
 * Luis Fonseca, American Navy hospital corpsman
 * Stephanie Foo (1987—), Malaysian-American radio journalist and author
 * Kelly Fraser (1993–2019), Canadian Inuk singer

G

 * Catherine Galliford (1966 or 1967—), Canadian RCMP corporal
 * Lorena Gallo (1969–), American domestic violence victim advocate acquitted of cutting off her husband's penis
 * Jimmy Galt (1885–1935), Scottish footballer
 * U Gambira (1979–), Burmese activist and former Buddhist monk
 * Abbie Gardner-Sharp (1843—1921), American kidnapping survivor who wrote a memoir about her experience
 * Connie Glynn (1994—), English Internet personality
 * Whoopi Goldberg (1955–), American actor, comedian, and author
 * Ariana Grande (1993–), American singer-songwriter
 * Robert Graves (1895–1985), British poet, novelist, and critic
 * Dror Green (1954—), Israeli-Bulgarian writer
 * Stéphane Grenier, Canadian military officer and writer
 * Matt Gresham, Australian singer-songwriter

H

 * Darrell Hammond (1955–), American comedian and actor
 * David Haigh, British lawyer
 * Craig Harrison (1974–), British sniper
 * Angel Haze (1991–), American rapper and singer
 * Zoe Helene (1964—), American ecofeminist and advocate of psychedelic drugs
 * Carle Hessay (1911—1978), German-Canadian painter
 * David Hogg (2000–), American gun control activist
 * Jose L. Holguin (1921–1994), American WWII veteran
 * Mandy Horvath (1993—), American mountaineer
 * Francine Hughes (1947–2017), American woman acquitted of murdering her abusive husband (battered woman syndrome)

J

 * Harry Jackson (1924—2011), American artist
 * Paris Jackson (1998–), American model, actor, singer, and musician
 * Oliver Jackson-Cohen (1986–), English actor. His mental health challenges have informed how he plays different characters.
 * Jameela Jamil (1986–), English actor and activist
 * Abd Al Rahim Abdul Rassak Janko (1977—), Kurdish man detained at Guantanamo
 * Daniel Johns (1979–), Australian musician and singer-songwriter
 * Dwight H. Johnson (1947–1971), American veteran who received the Medal of Honor

K

 * Jason Kander (1981–), American attorney and politician
 * Shalini Kantayya, filmmaker and environmental activist
 * Fergal Keane (1961–), Irish journalist
 * Andrea Kelly (1974–), American choreographer, dancer, and actor
 * Jacqueline Kennedy (1929–1994), American socialite and first lady
 * Sue Klebold (1949–), American author and activist
 * Keira Knightley (1985–), English actor
 * Alicia Kozakiewicz (1988–), American motivational speaker and missing persons advocate

L

 * Shia LaBeouf (1986–), American actor
 * Lady Gaga (1986–), American singer-songwriter and actor
 * Erika Renee Land (1983—), American writer
 * Ernie LaPointe (1948–), Lakota author
 * Percival Lancaster (1880–1937), British civil engineer and writer
 * Janet Leach, English social worker
 * Left at London (1996–), American singer-songwriter
 * Robin Lehner (1991–), Swedish ice hockey player
 * Primo Levi (1919—1987), Italian Jewish chemist and writer
 * Lisa-Jayne Lewis, British broadcaster
 * Lawrence Lindell (1988—), American cartoonist
 * Linda Lovelace (1949–2002), American pornographic actor who became an anti-pornography activist later in life

M

 * Clint Malarchuk (1961–), Canadian ice hockey player
 * Gabriel Mac, American author and journalist
 * Neil Mackay, Northern Irish journalist, author, and filmmaker
 * Aimee Mann (1960–), American singer-songwriter
 * Catherine Mardon, Canadian writer and activist
 * Hans-Joachim Marseille (1919—1942), German Luftwaffe fighter pilot
 * Robert Mason (1942—), American veteran and author
 * AnnaLynne McCord (1987–), American actor, model, and activist
 * David McBride (1963–), Australian soldier and whistleblower who leaked evidence of Australian war crimes during the War in Afghanistan
 * John McGavock Grider (1893—1918), American fighter pilot in WWI
 * Ronnie McNutt (1987–2020), American man who committed suicide on a Facebook livestream
 * Thomas Melville Lunan (1878—?), Scottish architect
 * James Blake Miller (1984–), American marine who fought in the Iraq War
 * Joseph Daniel Miller (1964—), American serial killer (according to defense attorney)
 * Sharee Miller (1971—), American criminal
 * Walter M. Miller Jr. (1923–1996), American science fiction writer
 * Luis Carlos Montalvan (1973–2016), American soldier and writer
 * Devin Moore (1985–), American murderer
 * David Morgan (1947—), British Navy and RAF pilot
 * Philip Morris, English kidnapping victim
 * Seth Moulton (1978–), American politician
 * Benedict Joseph Murdoch (1886—1973), Canadian priest and writer
 * Audie Murphy (1925–1971), American actor, soldier, and songwriter

N

 * Joseph B. Noil (1841—1882), Canadian-American Navy sailor
 * Brandy Norwood (1979–), American singer-songwriter, record producer, and model

O

 * Llew O'Brien (1972—), Australian politician
 * Sinéad O'Connor, (1966—2023), Irish singer-songwriter and activist (complex PTSD)
 * Rasmea Odeh (1947 or 1948—), Palestinian-Jordanian implicated in the 1969 PFLP bombings in Jerusalem
 * Chris Opie (1987—), British cyclist
 * Wilfred Owen (1893–1918), English poet and soldier
 * Alex Owumi (1984—), Nigerian-American basketball player

P

 * José Padilla (1970—), American criminal
 * Robert Park, American missionary and activist
 * Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), English diarist and naval administrator
 * Rosie Perez (1964–), American actor, choreographer, and dancer
 * Georg-Andreas Pogany (1971–), German-American soldier and activist
 * Noa Pothoven (2001–2019), Dutch activist and author

Q

 * Ali Shallal al-Qaisi (1962–), Iraqi detained and tortured in Abu Ghraib prison during American occupation

R

 * James Rhodes (1975—), British-Spanish pianist and writer
 * Emma Roddick (1997—), Scottish politician
 * Michele Ross (1982—), American neuroscientist, author, and media personality
 * Jan Ruff O'Herne (1923–2019), Indonesian-Australian human rights activist and survivor of war rape

S

 * J. D. Salinger (1919–2010), American writer
 * Ahmad Naser Sarmast, Afghan-Australian ethnomusicologist
 * Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967), English war poet and writer
 * Janina Scarlet (1983—), Ukrainian-American Jewish author and psychologist
 * Jan Scruggs (1950—), American veteran of the Vietnam War and founder of a nonprofit
 * Geoff Shaw, Australian Aboriginal (Arrernte/Kaytetye) community leader
 * Gail Sheehy (1936—2020), American author, journalist, and lecturer
 * Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, American activist
 * Paul Shuey (1970—), American baseball player
 * Sia (1975–), Australian singer-songwriter
 * Lodune Sincaid (1973—2019), American mixed martial artist
 * Emma Slade (1966—), British public speaker
 * Dr. Charles Smith (1940—), American sculptor and minister
 * Merriman Smith (1913—1970), American journalist
 * Soghoman Soghomian (1869—1935), commonly known as Komitas; Ottoman Armenian priest, musician, and musicologist who survived the Armenian genocide
 * Daniel Somers (1983—2013), American soldier in the Iraq War whose suicide note went viral
 * Junior J. Spurrier (1922—1984), American veteran of WWII
 * Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt (1920—1942), German Luftwaffe pilot
 * Alexandra Stan (1989—), Romanian singer-songwriter
 * Stefan Steć (1964—2005), Polish UN peacekeeper
 * Heinrich Stegemann (1888—1945), German painter and sculptor
 * James Stephanie Sterling (1984–), English-American YouTuber and wrestler
 * Dorothy Still Danner (1914—2001), American Navy nurse in WWII
 * Julius Strauss, British journalist and wilderness guide
 * Erica Sullivan (2000—), Olympic swimmer representing the USA
 * Charles Sumner (1811—1874), American politician
 * Anthony Swofford (1970–), American writer

T

 * Jack Hendrick Taylor (1909—1959), American Navy officer and concentration camp survivor
 * Claude AnShin Thomas (1947—), American Zen Buddhist monk and Vietnam War veteran
 * Hugh Thompson Jr. (1943—2006), American army major credited with ending the Mỹ Lai massacre
 * Gunvald Tomstad (1918—1970), Norwegian resistance member during WWII
 * Mary L. Trump (1965–), American psychologist and author
 * Houston Tumlin (1992–2021), American actor

V

 * Rachelle Vinberg (1998–), American skateboarder and actor
 * Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007), American author, veteran, and POW

W

 * Sam Wadsworth (1896–1961), English footballer
 * Nico Walker (1985–), American writer
 * John Walsh, American politician
 * Esmé Weijun Wang, American writer
 * Massey Whiteknife, Canadian businessperson and producer
 * Lucy Wicks (1973—), Australian politician
 * Denis Wigan (1893–1958), English cricketer
 * Tom Wills (1835—1880), Australian sportsman
 * Ron Wilson (1954—), Northern Irish-Australian TV and radio news presenter
 * Alex Winter (1965–), British-American actor and filmmaker
 * Bogdan-Dawid Wojdowski (1930—1994), Polish Jewish writer
 * Brianna Wu (1971–), American video game developer and computer programmer

Y

 * Will Young (1979–), British singer-songwriter and actor
 * Tiffany Yu (1988–), American entrepreneur and activist

Z

 * Keith Zettlemoyer (1955—1995), American murderer