Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is PTSD?

It is common for people to feel that no matter what they’ve faced or lived with, no matter how extreme, they should be able to carry on. But sometimes people face situations that are so traumatic that they may become unable to cope and function in their daily lives. Some people become so distressed by memories of the trauma – memories that won’t go away – that they begin to live their lives trying to avoid any reminders of what happened to them.

A person who feels this way months after a traumatic experience has passed may be suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, a serious and common health condition. For these people, getting beyond the trauma and overcoming PTSD requires the help of a professional.

  • PTSD may develop following exposure to extreme trauma.
  • Extreme trauma is a terrifying event or ordeal that a person has experienced, witnessed or learned about, especially one that is life-threatening or causes physical harm. It can be a single event or repeated experience.
  • The experience causes that person to feel intense fear, horror or a sense of helplessness.
  • The stress caused by trauma can affect all aspects of a person’s life, including mental, emotional and physical well-being.
  • Research suggests that prolonged trauma may disrupt and alter brain chemistry. For some people, this may lead to the development of PTSD.

Statistics

  • An estimated 70 percent of adults have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their lives, and up to 20 percent of these people go on to develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
  • An estimated one out of 10 women will get PTSD at some time in their lives. Women are about twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. This may be due to the fact that women tend to experience interpersonal violence (such as domestic violence, rape or abuse) more often than men.
  • Almost 17 percent of men and 13 percent of women have experienced more than three traumatic events in their lives.

Who's at risk for developing PTSD?

Those at risk include:

  • Anyone who has been victimized or has witnessed a violent act or who has been repeatedly exposed to a life-threatening situation.
  • Survivors of:
    Rape, Sexual, Domestic, Child Abuse
    Mugging, Physical Assault
  • Survivors of unexpected events in everyday life:
    Car accidents, Fires, Natural Disasters
  • Children who are neglected or sexually, physically or verbally abused or adults who were abused as children
  • Combat veterans or civilian victims of war
  • Those diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or who have undergone invasive medical procedures
  • Professionals who respond to victims in trauma situations such as emergency medical service workers, police, firefighters, military, and search and rescue workers
  • People who learn of the sudden, unexpected death of a close friend or relative

    What are the symptoms of PTSD?

    People respond in different ways to extreme trauma. Many people who experience extreme trauma do not develop PTSD. However, for those who do, PTSD symptoms usually appear within several weeks of the trauma, but some people don’t experience symptoms until months or even years later.

    Three categories – or "clusters" – of symptoms are associated with PTSD.

    Clusters

    • Re-living the event through recurring nightmares or other intrusive images that occur at any time. People who suffer from PTSD also have extreme emotional or physical reactions such as chills, heart palpitations or panic when faced with reminders of the event.
    • Avoiding reminders of the event, including places, people, thoughts or other activities associated with the trauma. PTSD sufferers may feel emotionally detached, withdraw from friends and family, and lose interest in everyday activities.
    • Being on guard or being hyper-aroused at all times, including feeling irritability or sudden anger, having difficulty sleeping or concentrating, or being overly alert or easily startled.

    People with PTSD may have low self-esteem or relationship problems or may seem disconnected from their lives. Other problems that may mask or intensify symptoms include:

    • Psychiatric problems such as depression, dissociation (losing conscious awareness of the “here and now”) or another anxiety disorder like panic disorder.
    • Self-destructive behavior including:
      Alcohol/drug abuse
      High risk behaviour
    • Physical complaints, any or all of which may be accompanied by depression, including:

              Psychosomatic pains, headaches, muscle cramps, 
              sleep disorders, eating disorders.

How is PTSD treated?

There are a number of effective treatment options for PTSD. Treatment can involve psychotherapy, medication or a combination of both.

  • Psychotherapy – Psychotherapeutic or counseling methods such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), including exposure and anxiety management treatments, are effective in treating PTSD. Effective psychotherapy usually involves helping the survivor learn skills to manage symptoms and to develop ways of coping; work through the traumatic experience; and make meaning of the experience as a part of the person's life.
  • Medication – Prescription medication is effective in treating PTSD. For some people, medication can significantly reduce symptoms, enhance the effectiveness of psychotherapy and improve quality of life. Those diagnosed with PTSD should talk with their healthcare provider about the use of medication as a part of their treatment regime.


Information Taken From

http://www.ptsdalliance.org/home.html