What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after someone experiences a traumatic event that caused intense fear, helplessness, or horror. PTSD can result from personally experienced traumas (e.g., rape, war, natural disasters, abuse, serious accidents, and captivity) or from the witnessing or learning of a violent or tragic event.
While it is common to experience a brief state of anxiety or depression after such occurrences, people with PTSD continually relive the traumatic event; avoid individuals, thoughts, or situations associated with the event; and have symptoms of excessive emotions.
People with this disorder have these symptoms for longer than one month and cannot function as well as they did before the traumatic event. PTSD symptoms usually appear within three months of the traumatic experience; however, they sometimes occur months or even years later.
Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:
Although the symptoms for individuals with PTSD can vary considerably, they generally fall into three categories:
Re-experience: Individuals
with PTSD often experience
recurrent
and intrusive recollections of and/or nightmares
about the
stressful event. Some experience flashbacks,
hallucinations,
or other
vivid feelings of the event
happening
again. Others experience great psychological
or physiological
distress when certain things (objects,
situations,
etc.) remind them of the event.
Avoidance: Many with PTSD will
persistently avoid things
that remind
them of the traumatic event. This can result
in avoiding
everything from thoughts, feelings, or
conversations
associated with the
incident to activities,
places, or
people that cause them to recall the
event.
In others
there may be a general lack of responsiveness
signaled
by an inability to recall aspects of the trauma,
a decreased
interest in
formerly important activities, a
feeling
of detachment from others, a limited range of
emotion,
and/or feelings of hopelessness about
the future.
Increased
arousal: Symptoms in this area may include
difficulty
falling or staying asleep, irritability or outbursts
of anger,
difficulty concentrating, becoming very alert or
watchful,
and/or
jumpiness or
being easily startled.
It is important to note that those with PTSD often use alcohol or other drugs in an attempt to self-medicate. Individuals with this disorder may also be at an increased risk for suicide.
"Hope is necessary in every condition."
Samuel Johnson
1709-1784
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