What Is PTSD?
Once called shell shock or battle fatigue, this mental condition was first recognized in war veterans, who had experienced the traumas and harrowing experiences of war and come home changed men.
However, we now know that the condition can result from a wide range of traumatic experiences, from physical assaults such as rape and child abuse to surviving car accidents or natural disasters. It can also be triggered by a traumatic event that affected a loved one, such as a kidnapping or murder of a relative, or witnessing the destruction that comes with a tragedy such as a train wreck or plane crash.
PTSD can affect people of all ages, from young children to the elderly. However, Mayo Clinic has identified risk factors that make a person more likely to develop the condition. Among them:
- Experiencing or surviving a major or long-lived traumatic event
- Having survived childhood trauma, such as child abuse or neglect
- Having a job that puts you in regular contact with traumatic events, including being in the military, being a police officer, EMT or firefighter.
Your chances of developing PTSD after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event also increase if you have underlying mental health problems, from anxiety disorders to depression, or relatives who have these conditions. Your risk also increases if you lack a support system to help you cope with the trauma you experienced or witnessed.
According to PsychCentral, people who are suffering from PTSD often experience persistent, frightening thoughts and memories (also called flashbacks) of their ordeal or the event they witnessed. They may withdraw emotionally from loved ones and close friends and become “numb.” Mayo Clinic also notes that patients with PTSD suffer from extreme anxiety and uncontrollable thoughts about the traumatic events, which may be accompanied by phobias or rituals that have become coping mechanisms.
PTSD may be difficult to diagnose because symptoms can vary in intensity over time or based on circumstances. For example, a combat veteran may hear a loud noise, such as a firecracker, and relive a combat experience, experiencing an increase in symptoms immediately after the trigger and eventually having them ease. For others, symptoms may become worse over time, especially without treatment, as they develop related conditions, such as depression.
How Is It Diagnosed?
Many people who experience traumatic events will go through a period of adjustment afterward, while they recover physically and mentally and as they process and learn to deal with the event they experienced. For most, these symptoms, which can mimic those of PTSD initially, will fade over time.
However, if the symptoms persist or become progressively worse over time, or if they are so severe that they begin to interfere with your daily life, you may have developed PTSD. In others, these symptoms may not arise for years after the event – such as in the case of childhood abuse or neglect.
What Symptoms Should I Watch For?
Mayo Clinic reports that PTSD symptoms are typically classified into four categories:
Intrusive Memories
A traumatic experience will often be followed by scary memories or nightmares. However, for a person suffering from PTSD, these memories become debilitating, causing the sufferer to relive the event as if it were happening again. This causes terrifying nightmares, or recurrent memories that are difficult to shake. People with PTSD may also develop triggers and have extreme emotional or physical reactions to things that remind them of the tragedy.
Avoidance
People who are suffering from PTSD may use avoidance as a coping mechanism. They may refuse to discuss the tragedy or avoid thinking about it. They may also disassociate themselves with people who remind them of the traumatic experience – including people who witnessed or experienced it with them or relatives and friends. They may also avoid activities, such as driving a car or flying, or they may change their clothing, stop wearing makeup, or take other measures to alter themselves after a sexual attack.
Negative Changes in Thinking And Mood
PTSD sufferers often show a significant change in self-perception or their perception of others (such as not trusting men after a sexual assault). They may describe an inability to feel happiness or say that they feel numb. Along with these changes in thinking in mood are often many changes in activities. PTSD sufferers may stop participating in activities or hobbies they once enjoyed, or stop taking measures to plan for the future because of a feeling of hopelessness.
Web MD points out that other PTSD sufferers may develop memory problems and block out all or parts of the event. They may withdraw socially and distance themselves from friends, relatives, and loved ones, or they may have difficulty developing or maintaining personal relationships.
Changes In Emotional Reactions
According to the National Institutes of Health, someone with PTSD will often show a marked change in the way they handle situations. A once easygoing person may become irritable or have angry, aggressive outbursts over minor offenses. They may develop self-destructive habits, which can range from heavy drinking or drug use to driving too fast, being sexually promiscuous, gambling or engaging in other high-risk behaviors.
PTSD sufferers may also be easily startled or appear to always be on guard, or they may develop sleeping problems or have difficulty concentrating on or completing tasks.
What Can I Do?
If you or a loved one is experiencing the symptoms of PTSD, getting treatment is absolutely essential to easing your symptoms or helping you cope with your experiences. A family physician can make a referral to a mental health professional who specializes in helping patients with PTSD gain control over their symptoms and get their lives back on track.
If you have suicidal thoughts, or if you suspect that a loved one is developing these thoughts, seek the help of a relative or friend, spiritual leader, counselor, or call the National Suicide Hotline at 800-273-TALK to speak with a counselor.
If a loved one is threatening to harm him or herself, take these threats seriously. If it can be done safely, someone should stay with the affected person and get him or her to a hospital emergency room or counselor’s office as quickly as possible. If you aren’t able to or are concerned for the welfare of those around the affected person, call 911 and report any threats.