Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder triggered by an event or situation that is perceived as threatening, overwhelming, upsetting and/or scary. PTSD is often associated with war survivors, however, many events could lead to developing PTSD, such as an accident, a sudden loss of a loved one, survivors of a traumatic event, natural disaster, sexual assault etc. PTSD can also be developed by being exposed to the graphic details of the event reported by someone involved in the event or if they witnessed the traumatic situation, even if not directly involved in the event. This trauma can occur through what is defined as vicarious trauma.
Understanding PTSD
After a traumatic or frightening event, it is a natural human reaction to experience symptoms and different levels of distress, including difficulties in processing what has happened; thus, difficulties in placing the event in the past. However, if these symptoms - usually physiological fight, flight, freeze responses, together with distressing thoughts, memories, and feelings- are persistent and last for more than a month, you might have developed PTSD.
If you are experiencing symptoms for the first few weeks after a distressing / traumatic event, you might suffer from Acute Stress Disorder (ASD). You might be experiencing the same symptoms you would experience if suffering from PTSD, but these will not usually last for more than a month. It is important to remember that not everyone who experienced trauma will develop PTSD, and not everyone who suffered a trauma and acute stress disorder, will inevitably develop PTSD.
You might experience mild, moderate, or severe PTSD symptoms, depending on the impact of these in your everyday life. This categorisation does not refer to the trigger event but the impact of your symptoms on your normal functioning.
There are different types and onset of PTSD. For example, the expression of your symptoms might be delayed and not occur right after the trauma but six months -or more- after the traumatic event. You might suffer from Complex PTSD if the trauma happened in your childhood and/or you suffered repeated exposure to the trauma for a long time.
The main brain areas involved in PTSD are the amygdala -responsible for emotion regulation and sensation of fear; the prefrontal cortex – which controls decision-making and planning; and the hippocampus -responsible for storing and retrieving memories.
What Are The Main Symptoms Of PTSD?
If you have suffered trauma and developed PTSD, you might re-experience moments or details of the frightening event. This re-experiencing happens through symptoms such as:
Flashbacks, intrusive memories or thoughts
Anxiety
Nightmares and difficulties sleeping
Dissociation and loss of connection with the present moment
Emotional numbness
Hypervigilance to any possible threat
Difficulties being around loud or unexpected noises
Sense of constant fear, shame, guilt or anger
A psychological sensation of pain, sweat, nausea or shaking
Situations, objects can trigger these symptoms or smells that remind you of the traumatic event. Thus, people who suffered a trauma and developed PTSD may tend to avoid events or places that remind them of the trauma, feel a lack of motivation in socialising and might also engage in destructive behaviours.
What Causes PTSD?
PTSD can be caused by the experience of a traumatic or frightening event or a series of distressing traumatic events / circumstances that occur over a long period of time. This can include accidents, a sudden loss, sexual assault, witnessing a violent death, prolonged environmental stress, a natural disaster and so on. However, research suggests that some factors make you more or less predisposed to develop PTSD, and we are still not sure why after a traumatic event, not everyone develops PTSD.
The factors that make an individual more vulnerable to developing PTSD are suggested to be both environmental and genetic. For instance, early experiences of childhood abuse or having a caregiver struggling with mental illness appear to increase the likelihood of developing PTSD. Previous experiences of anxiety and depression are also risk factors.
Treatment For PTSD
Therapy is highly effective in the treatment of PTSD. Different therapies have proven to be effective in the treatment of PTSD, such as:
Your psychologist will use these therapies to help you process the traumatic memories and related feelings. This may be achieved in several ways depending on the nature of the trauma, your preferences, and your psychologist's therapeutic approach. This often involves developing strategies to deal with the intense physiological responses and feelings triggered by flashbacks or traumatic memories. Your psychologist will develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Please get in touch with us to learn more about therapy for PTSD or schedule an appointment for a free initial consultation.