Post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD) is a stressor-related and trauma-related disorder that affects around 5 percent of Americans. PTSD is often viewed only in terms of military deployments and experience. PTSD can strike anyone who has experienced trauma. Sometimes it can be hard to recognize PTSD. This is why we are here to help identify the signs and help you know when to seek professional help.
What Causes PTSD
Someone who has witnessed or experienced a terrifying incident can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder. Because there is no universal standard for what is “terrifying”, each person’s experience is unique. It’s not the job of anyone else, to decide what “should” or should not cause PTSD. Actually, doctors don’t know why certain people have PTSD. However, experts can identify that PTSD is often caused a complex mixture of:
Stressful experiences such as abuse, death, injury, or sexual assault
An inheritance of mental health risks such as anxiety or depression in the family
Inherited temperament or inherited personality traits
When stressed, there are chemical imbalances in how hormones and chemicals are controlled by the brain.
Anyone can develop post-traumatic stress disorder. But there are some things that can increase the chance of developing it. Some of these factors include:
Long-lasting trauma
Childhood abuse or trauma suffered earlier in life
Work that increases your exposure to trauma, such as the military or first responders
Existing with anxiety or depression?
Suspected substance abuse is a problem
Insufficient support from friends, family, or reliable mental support
Symptoms and signs of PTSD
If you don’t have the support you need, post-traumatic stress disorders can become debilitating. It can be difficult to set mental and emotional boundaries that are helpful and avoid triggers, as everyone is different.
Symptoms of PTSD include:
Re-Experience the event
Flashbacks give you the impression that the event is still happening.
Inspiring, vivid memories of the event
Frequent nightmares from the event
Recalling the event can cause physical or mental discomfort.
Avoidance
Emotional apathy (feeling like you don’t care about or are unphased by everyday life events)
Indifference in daily activities
Memory loss from the actual event
Inability or unwillingness to express one’s feelings
Reminders of the events should be avoided.
Reactivity
It is hard to concentrate
Starting easy and responding in exaggerated ways to startling events
Constantly feeling on guard
Irritability
Bouts full of anger
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Mood
Negative thoughts about you
Distorted feelings or thoughts of guilt, worry, and blame
Trouble remembering the event?
Indulgence in recreational activities is declining
Panic Attacks
Agitation
Excitability
Dizziness
Lightheadedness
Fainting
Racing or pounding heart
Headaches
The intensity of PTSD symptoms can fluctuate over time. One day’s mild symptoms could turn into a more severe reaction the next. This is why PTSD sufferers have trouble navigating their daily lives.
Diagnosis for PTSD
While there are no tests specific for PTSD, a professional in mental health is better qualified to diagnose the condition. Before diagnosing you, a mental healthcare professional will check for the following symptoms:
A traumatic event in which someone has witnessed, experienced, or learned about it. The individual’s response to it.
How trauma is relived in a person’s everyday life (nightmares or intrusive thoughts and flashbacks, etc.
How the person has managed to cope with the traumatic memories
How long the individual has been suffering from their symptoms
Sometimes, it is difficult to diagnose PTSD. Often people with PTSD don’t know they have it. It is often difficult to get help for PTSD because it can be so debilitating.
It’s okay to ask for assistance. Even if one of the symptoms is not present, it’s still a reason to speak with a mental health professional. Even if a diagnosis for PTSD has not been made, it is important to address negative thoughts and symptoms associated with traumatic events.
If you experience any of the symptoms of PTSD, don’t worry. You should seek professional help immediately if you experience frequent negative thoughts, can’t control your actions, or fear you might hurt yourself or others. You should seek help if you have any of these symptoms. You should dial 911 immediately if suicidal thoughts, urges, or behavior occur.
A combination of these therapies may be recommended for those diagnosed with PTSD.
Cognitive Behavioral therapy: Sometimes called “talk therapy”, cognitive behavioural treatment encourages you to recall the trauma and to express your feelings about it. It can seem frightening to revisit the event that has caused you so much emotional pain and mental suffering. However, a guided, supervised recall of the event can help to reduce trauma symptoms and de-sensitize you. It can also help you to find healthy coping methods in an event that has triggered you.
Support Groups. Support groups provide a similar benefit as talk therapy. It’s a safe and healthy environment where you can revisit past traumas. You should remember that people in support groups are not mental health professionals. They are also on the same journey. These groups shouldn’t offer mental health advice. Instead, you will be with people who understand what you are going through. This makes it less isolating.
Medication: These medications include antidepressants and anxiety medication. These medications should only ever be prescribed by a doctor. Self-medicating and self-coping with drugs and alcohol can sometimes make symptoms worse.
Therapy is a great and productive way of dealing with PTSD symptoms. An experienced mental health professional licensed in your area can help you identify and manage your specific triggers.
