What is PTSD?
PTSD Awareness Month – PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. It’s normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after this type of event. At first, it may be hard to do normal daily activities, like go to work, go to school, or spend time with people that care about you. But most people start to feel better after a few weeks or months. After trauma or life-threatening event, it is common to have reactions such as upsetting memories of the event, increased jumpiness, or trouble sleeping. If these reactions do not go away or if they get worse, you may have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). If it’s been longer than a few months and you’re still having symptoms, you may have PTSD. For some people, PTSD symptoms may start later on, or they may come and go over time.
PTSD Awareness Month
Table Of Contents
What is PTSD
Factors that Affect Those With PTSD
Symptoms of PTSD
Other Problems Associates With PTSD
Treatments Options for PTSD
Resources
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Factors that Affect Those With PTSD
PTSD can happen to anyone. It is not a sign of weakness but simply a sign of a hectic occurrence. Some factors can increase the chance that someone will have PTSD, many of which are not under that person’s control. For example, having a very intense or long-lasting traumatic event or getting injured during the incident can make it more likely that a person will develop PTSD. PTSD is more common for certain types of trauma, like combat and sexual assault than other types of injury.
Personal factors, like previous traumatic exposure, age, and gender, can affect whether or not a person will develop PTSD. What happens after the traumatic event is as important as what happened when the injury occurred. Stress can make PTSD more likely, while social support can make it less likely.
Symptoms of PTSD
- Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms). You may have bad memories or nightmares. You even may feel like you’re going through the event again. This is called a flashback.
- Avoiding situations that remind you of the event. You may try to avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the traumatic event. You may even avoid talking or thinking about the event.
- Having more negative beliefs and feelings. The way you think about yourself and others may change because of the trauma. You may feel guilt or shame. Or, you may not be interested in activities you used to enjoy. You may feel that the world is dangerous and you can’t trust anyone. You might be numb, or find it hard to feel happy.
- Feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal). You may be jittery, or always alert and on the lookout for danger. Or, you may have trouble concentrating or sleeping. You might suddenly get angry or irritable, startle easily, or act in unhealthy ways (like smoking, using drugs and alcohol, or driving recklessly.
Other Problems Associates With PTSD
People with PTSD may also have other problems like
- Feelings of hopelessness, shame, or despair
- Depression or anxiety
- Drinking or drug problems
- Physical symptoms or chronic pain
- Employment problems
- Relationship problems, including divorce
In many cases, treatments for PTSD will also help these other problems, because they are often related. The coping skills you learn in therapy can work for PTSD and these associated problems.
Treatments Options for PTSD
There are two main types of treatment namely Psychotherapy (sometimes called counseling or talk therapy) and medication. Sometimes people combine psychotherapy and medication to get better.
A. Psychotherapy can be divided into Trauma-focused psychotherapy and EMDR.
Trauma-focused psychotherapy can be divided into Cognitive processing therapy and Prolonged exposure.
Trauma-focused psychotherapy is a form of therapy that focuses on the memory of the traumatic event or its meaning. This seems to be the most effective treatment for PTSD, according to PTSD.va.gov
Trauma-focused psychotherapy can further be divided into two parts – Cognitive processing, and prolonged exposure.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) where you learn skills to understand how trauma changed your thoughts and feelings. Changing how you think about the trauma can change how you feel.
Prolonged Exposure (PE) where you talk about your trauma repeatedly until memories are no longer upsetting. This will help you get more control over your thoughts and feelings about the trauma. You also go to places or do things that are safe, but that you have been staying away from because they remind you of the trauma.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which involves focusing on sounds or hand movements while you talk about the trauma. This helps your brain work through the traumatic memories.
B. Medications for PTSD
Medications can be effective too. Some specific SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), which are used for depression, also work for PTSD. These include sertraline, paroxetine, fluoxetine, and venlafaxine.
IMPORTANT: According to the government website, Benzodiazepines and atypical antipsychotics should generally be avoided for PTSD treatment because they do not treat the core PTSD symptoms and can be addictive.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after someone goes through a traumatic event like combat, assault, or disaster. Most people have some stress reactions after trauma. If the responses don’t go away over time or disrupt your life, you may have PTSD.
Resources
The National Center for PTSD is dedicated to research and education on trauma and PTSD. We work to assure that the latest research findings help those exposed to trauma.
Originally posted 2021-04-05 00:15:30.
