What is PTSD? PTSD Exposed!
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Transcript Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental condition that requires treatment. WebMD explains causes, symptoms, and treatment. There is no medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment for PTSD; however, it can be treated with psychotherapy.
What Is PTSD?
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), once called shell shock or battle fatigue syndrome, is a serious condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which there was serious physical harm or threat.
- PTSD is a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
PTSD Symptoms
- Symptoms of PTSD most often begin within 3 months of the event. In some cases, however, they don’t begin until years later.
- Reliving: People with PTSD repeatedly relive the ordeal through thoughts and memories of the trauma (ex. flashbacks, hallucinations, and nightmares).
- Avoiding: The person may avoid people, places, thoughts, or situations that may remind them of the traumatic event. This can lead to feelings of detachment and isolation from family and friends, as well as a loss of interest in activities that the person once enjoyed.
- Increased arousal: These include excessive emotions; problems relating to others, including feeling or showing affection, irritability, outbursts of anger, difficulty concentrating, and being “jumpy” or easily startled.
PTSD Causes and Risk Factors
- About 3.6% of adult Americans— about 5.2 million people—have PTSD during the course of a year, and an estimated 7.8 million Americans will develop PTSD at some point in their lives.
- PTSD can develop at any age, including childhood. Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men due to being victims of domestic violence, abuse, and rape.
PTSD Diagnosis
- PTSD isn’t diagnosed until at least 1 month has passed since the traumatic event happened
- If symptoms of PTSD are present, the doctor will begin an evaluation by performing a complete medical history and physical exam
- The doctor bases their diagnosis of PTSD on reported symptoms, including any problems with functioning caused by the symptoms
PTSD Treatment
- The goal of PTSD treatment is to reduce the emotional and physical symptoms, to improve daily functioning, and to help the person better manage with the event that triggered the disorder.
- Treatment for PTSD may involve psychotherapy, medication, or both
- A variety of psychotherapy approaches are used to treat people with PTSD including Cognitive behavioral therapy, Prolonged exposure therapy, Psychodynamic therapy, and Eye Desensitization and Reprocessing
Complications – PTSD
- PTSD can cause problems in every aspect of your life, including your job, your relationships, your health, and your everyday activities.
- It may also make you more likely to develop other mental health problems, such as: Depression and anxiety, Drug or alcohol abuse, Eating disorders, Suicidal thoughts and actions.
SOURCE:
National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Mayo Clinic: “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”
