People who have encountered or witnessed a traumatic incident, series of events or combination of circumstances may develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This may be emotionally or physically detrimental or life-threatening and impair mental, physical, social, and spiritual well-being. Examples include natural catastrophes, serious accidents, terrorist attacks, war/combat, rape/sexual assault, historical trauma, intimate partner abuse, and bullying.
PTSD has been recognized by a variety of titles in the past, including "shell shock" during World War I and "combat fatigue" following World War II, although PTSD is not limited to combat veterans. PTSD can affect everyone, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, culture, or age. Approximately 3.5% of American people suffer from PTSD every year. There is an 8% lifetime prevalence of PTSD in teenagers aged 13 to 18. PTSD affects one out of every eleven people at some point in their lives.
People with PTSD continue to experience intense, distressing thoughts and emotions related to the traumatic incident long after it has ceased. They may have flashbacks or nightmares, feelings of grief, dread, or fury, and a sense of detachment or alienation from others. Persons with PTSD may avoid circumstances or people who remind them of the traumatic experience, and they may have extreme negative reactions to everyday stimuli such as loud noises or unintentional touches.
Risk factors
All ages are prone to developing post-traumatic stress disorder. However, certain characteristics may increase your risk of developing PTSD following a distressing event, such as:
· Experiencing extreme or prolonged trauma
· Having encountered other trauma earlier in life, such as childhood abuse
· Having a career that raises the risk of exposure to traumatic events, such as military people and first responders
· Suffering from additional mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression
· Having substance abuse issues, such as excessive drinking or drug use
· Lacking a strong family and friend network
· Having blood relations with mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression
Symptoms and Diagnosis
There are four groups of signs and symptoms of PTSD. The severity of certain symptoms can vary.
Re-experiencing the traumatic event through means of intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, or severe emotional or bodily responses when reminded of the trauma.
Avoidance and numbing such symptoms include avoiding anything that reminds you of the trauma, being unable to recall certain portions of the suffering, losing interest in activities and life in general, feeling emotionally numb and alienated from others, and having a restricted perspective of the future.
Hyperarousal insomnia, impatience, hypervigilance (on continual "red alert"), feeling jumpy or easily startled, violent outbursts and aggressive, self-destructive, or irresponsible conduct are all symptoms of PTSD.
Negative thoughts and mood changes include feelings of alienation and isolation, difficulties concentrating or remembering, despair and hopelessness, mistrust and betrayal, guilt, shame, and self-blame.
Veterans with PTSD have an Exaggerated Response to Stimuli
When serving in the military, you may be exposed to traumas of a different nature than civilians. The forms of trauma that were prevalent throughout your war of service may also affect your risk. Deployment to a war zone, training accidents, and military sexual trauma can all lead to PTSD.
Other factors in a conflict situation can worsen the stress already present. This may aggravate PTSD and other mental health conditions. These aspects include what you do throughout the conflict, the war's politics, the battlefield, and the type of enemy you confront.
In addition, military sexual trauma (MST) might be an additional cause of PTSD. This includes any sexual harassment or sexual assault that occurs during military service. MST can develop in both men and women during times of peace, training, or war.
Responses of soldiers to traumatic stress in warfare vary, although the majority of responses occur in phases. Anxiety, perplexity, panic, and numbness may be immediate symptoms. There may be delayed indications of indifference, sadness, intrusive thoughts, and withdrawal. The majority of warriors adapt and regain normal functioning by nature. However, acute stress disorder, which may precede PTSD, must be addressed when this cluster of symptoms persists for up to four weeks and causes clinically substantial functioning impairments in the patient. PTSD is a pathological response that persists beyond four weeks.
Chronic PTSD can cause substantial functional impairment, decreased quality of life, and high comorbidity with medical and other mental diseases by affecting biological, psychological, and behavioral processes. Veterans with PTSD have extreme reactivity to stimuli, such as flashbacks, anxiety, and aggressive or protective behavior. The degree of this hyperarousal can force veterans to avoid situations that trigger symptoms and develop emotional numbness, detachment, and withdrawal, all of which are PTSD hallmarks.
Treatments
Psychiatrists and other mental health experts employ a variety of successful techniques to assist individuals in recovering from PTSD. Both psychotherapy and medication have been demonstrated to be effective therapies for PTSD.
1.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavior treatments (CBT) are a highly effective type of psychotherapy. CBT treatments for PTSD include cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, and stress inoculation therapy (detailed below).
· Cognitive Processing Therapy is a cognitive-behavioral therapy created specifically to treat PTSD and co-occurring disorders. It focuses on altering painful negative feelings (such as shame, guilt, etc.) and beliefs (such as "I have failed" and "the world is dangerous") resulting from the trauma. Therapists assist individuals in confronting these difficult memories and feelings.
· Prolonged Exposure Therapy utilizes repeated, detailed envisioning of the trauma or gradual exposures to symptom "triggers" in a secure, controlled manner to assist a person to confront and develop control over anxiety and discomfort and learn coping skills. Virtual reality programs have been utilized to help warriors with PTSD relive the battlefield in a controlled and therapeutic manner.
· Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a therapeutic strategy for children and adolescents that combines trauma-sensitive therapies with cognitive behavioral, familial, and humanistic strategies.
· Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for PTSD 3-month trauma-focused psychotherapy. This therapy reprocesses trauma memories. The therapist guides the patient through traumatic memory questions after a detailed history and therapy plan. Watching the therapist's fingers or a light bar simulates REM sleep eye movements. Eye movements stop briefly. Sessions may modify thoughts, images, and feelings. After several sessions, the memory becomes less negative.
· Group therapy encourages survivors of comparable horrific events to share their stories and reactions. Group members remind one other that many people would have reacted and felt the same. Family counseling may assist because PTSD can affect the whole family.
2. Medication
PTSD symptoms can be managed with the help of medicine. Also, medication helps relieve symptoms, which makes it easier for many people to take part in psychotherapy.
Some antidepressants, like SSRIs and SNRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), are often used to treat the main symptoms of PTSD. They can be used on their own or with other treatments or psychotherapy.
Other medicines can be used to ease anxiety and physical agitation or to help people with PTSD who have nightmares or trouble sleeping.
PTSD Self-help Tips
Tip 1: Confront your feelings of helplessness
PTSD recovery is a gradual, continual process. Healing does not occur overnight, nor do memories of the trauma ever totally evaporate. This can sometimes make life appear challenging. However, there are numerous ways to manage the lingering effects and minimize your anxiety and panic.
The key to recovering from PTSD is conquering your helplessness. Trauma renders victims helpless and vulnerable. It is essential to remember that you possess qualities and coping abilities that can help you endure difficult circumstances.
Tip 2: Get moving
When you have PTSD, exercise can do more than enhance your mood and attitude by releasing endorphins. By paying close attention to your body and how it feels during movement, exercise can assist your nervous system to become "unstuck" and begin to move out of the immobilizing stress response.
Tip 3: Reach out to others for support
PTSD can lead to feelings of alienation from others. You may be tempted to isolate yourself from social activities and loved ones. But it is important to keep relationships with life and those who care about you. You are not required to discuss the trauma, but the compassionate support and company of others are essential to your healing.
Reach out to someone you can connect with for an extended amount of time, someone who will listen without judging, condemning, or being frequently distracted. This someone could be your significant other, a family member, a close friend, or a licensed therapist.
Tip 4: Support PTSD treatment with a healthy lifestyle
It is important to take care of yourself and adopt healthy lifestyle choices because the symptoms of PTSD can be taxing on your body. Take time to relax, avoid alcohol and drugs, consume a nutritious diet, and obtain sufficient sleep.
REFERENCES:
www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd
www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_veterans.asp#:~:text
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967