POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
Do you find PTSD more difficult? How long have you been the victim and missing your balanced life? The following guidelines are really meant for you. The sooner you become aware of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the easier it will be to overcome it.
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is an anxiety disorder. It can develop when people are severely harmed or are exposed to something extremely unpleasant.
PTSD is different from traumatic stress, which is less intense and shorter.
Causes of the PTSD:
The causes of PTSD include
● Losing a baby during pregnancy
● Sexual or physical assault
● Some health problems
● Severe accidents
● Conflict or war
● Torture
● Abuse and more.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms:
The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can have notable impacts on everyday life. In a majority of cases, symptoms come to light during the first month after a traumatic event, but in some cases, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can pop up months or years later.
How PTSD different from Depression:
Each person’s experience of post-traumatic stress disorder is unique to them. Post-traumatic stress disorder can be difficult to identify, especially when it is happening in your mind. It can look similar to depression or rage but PTSD is different. It can affect everything from the way you sleep to your relationships at home or work.
These symptoms cause significant problems in social or work situations. These symptoms can also interfere with your ability to go to your normal everyday task.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is grouped into the following categories
1. Intrusive Memories
2. Avoidance and emotional numbing
3. Behavioral Changes
4. Mood Swings and Negative Thinking:
1. Intrusive memories:
It is the most common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. Whether you are thinking about the event or not, memories of traumatic events can come back to disturb you. This is when a person involuntarily and vividly relieves the traumatic events in the form of
● Nightmares during sleep
● Flashback during the daytime
● Distressing memories of the traumatic event
These things can cause a person to feel anxious, afraid, guilty, or suspicious. These emotions may play physically in the forms of chills, shaking, headaches, heart palpitation, and panic attacks.
2. Avoidance and emotional numbing:
Trying to avoid being reminded of traumatic events is another key symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. This means avoiding specific places or certain people that remind you of the trauma or avoid thinking or talking to anyone about the thing that you have experienced. You steer clear of everyone and everything that reminds you of the events including places and activities.
People with PTSD try to push the memories of the event out of their minds, often distracting themselves with work or hobbies. Some people attempt to deal with their feelings by trying not to feel about anything at all. This is known as emotional numbing.
Avoidance can also mean staying away from the people in general – not just the one that is linked with the event. This can cause a person to feel detached and alone. This can also lead to the person becoming isolated and withdrawn and they also give up pursuing activities they used to enjoy and that provide them pleasure.
3. Behavioral Changes:
Someone with PTSD may be very anxious and find it difficult to relax. They may be constantly aware of threats and easily startled. Symptoms of physical and emotional reactions are called arousal symptoms. They can make your emotions more intense or make you react differently than you normally would.
Irritability and angry outbursts are very common. Many find it difficult to focus. Feeling of danger and being under attack can ruin your concentration. This can also lead to trouble in sleeping i.e., insomnia and nightmares
4. Mood Swings and Negative Thinking
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) does not always come with hints like nightmares and flashbacks. Sometimes, it seems like a mood change unrelated to a traumatic event. Negative changes in thinking occur. A person may feel hopeless, numb, or negative about himself or others.
People having suicidal thoughts and deep feelings of guilt and shame are common. A person loses interest in the activities that normally give him pleasure. The person feels difficulties in maintaining good relationships with his close friends and family members. A person also faces memory problems and difficulties in experiencing positive emotions
Difficult Feelings:
This can include:
● The overwhelming feeling of anger, sadness, guilt, or shame
● Feeling like nobody can understand your emotions
● Feeling like you cannot trust anyone
● Blaming yourself for what happened
● Feeling like nowhere is safe
Can Military Veteran be the Victim of PTSD
This is very crucial to say the Military Veterans are at a high risk of PTSD because they have witnessed and experienced it directly. More military persons who have been in active combat are at higher risk of PTSD. Following are the reason when a soldier gets PTSD.
● Life-threatening Event
● Military combat
● Natural disasters
● Terrorist incidents
● Serious accidents
● Violent personal assault i.e. rape
Other Problems:
People with PTSD having a number of other problems including
● Mental health issues such as dissociative disorder, self-harm, depression, anxiety, or phobias
● Destructive behavior such as drug misuse or use of alcohol
● Other physical problems such as headaches, dizziness, chest pain, and stomach aches
Treatments of Post-Traumatic Stress disorder:
There is a number of treatments that are being used by therapist and psychologist to deal with patients with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder), some are given below:
1. Therapy
In this treatment, they have many sessions and contain 6 to 7 treatments but it is based on stages. Then, the therapist starts the treatment like how many treatment sessions are required.
2. Cognitive development
This therapy occurs in a period of 12 weeks and in this treatment patients have sessions of 60 to 90 minutes at the start of treatment. In early sessions, you’ll talk about the traumatic event with your therapist and how it has affected your life and you can share your details and exact things with the therapist.
3. Prolonged exposure therapy
Prolonged exposure therapy has found to be very effective for PTSD sufferers. It is typically provided over the period of about three months with weekly individual sessions, resulting in eight to fifteen sessions overall. The original intervention protocol was described as nine to 12 sessions, with every ninety minutes in length. This treatment is safe and effective if given under the guidance of a licensed and trained therapist. Studies have proved the prolonged exposure therapy to be incredibly effective for alleviating the fear and panic that most patients of PTSD sufferers.
4. Stress Inoculation Training:
Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) is another kind of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). Its purpose is to reduce anxiety by different techniques. It involves teaching coping skills to deal with stress that leads to Post-traumatic stress disorder. SIT can be used as a stand-alone treatment or it can also be used with other CBTs.
Stress Inoculation Training basically acts as a vaccination. It helps to defend the body against the disease, SIT helps the patient to fight against PTSD-related anxiety and fear.
Some Techniques Used in SIT:
● Deep breathing from your diaphragm
● Learning to silently talk to yourself
● Muscle relaxation training
● Role-playing
● Thinking about and changing negative behavior
Other PTSD Treatments:
Some other PTSD Treatments also exist but these are not considered CBTs.
● Eye Movement Decentralization and Reprocessing
EMDR is a structured therapy that involves the person focusing on the memory that is related to the trauma while at the same time experiencing bilateral stimulation, which is associated with the reduction in the sharpness.
EMDR is a kind of psychotherapy that involves processing upsetting trauma-related feelings, thoughts, and memories.
● Present Centered Therapy
This is a kind of therapy involving the treatment that is non-trauma focused and this is associated with the current affairs rather than directly processing the trauma. It offers psychoeducation about the effects of trauma on someone's life and it also provides strategies about the solution of problems.
● Medication:
Medicines are also used for PTSD. These medications are sometimes used during the therapies that are described above.
A well-known medicine that is used during these therapies is Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). As in PTSD, a person feels depression so SSRIs are used as antidepressants.
Benzodiazepines are also a medicine that is used during these therapies. This medicine is quick-acting medicine and it is quite effective.
Note: These above-given medicines often used to treat but not recommended by us.
You need to consult your physician for better treatment.