Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
- Apoorva Khanna
- Apr 18, 2021
- 2 min read
PTSD is a mental health condition that someone can develop after going through a traumatic experience. Anyone can experience trauma and can go on to develop PTSD, no matter their age, gender or where they live.
Traumatic experiences can include :
Assault
Natural Disasters
Abuse
Catastrophic Accidents
Combat
Intimate partner violence
Childhood Neglect
Medical injuries or illnesses
Bullying
Kidnapping
Loss of a loved one
Harassment
Most people who go through a traumatic experience do not develop PTSD.
Approximately 50% people will go through a traumatic event in their lifetime and only 8% of them go on to develop PTSD.
PTSD symptoms include:
Flashbacks
Avoidance/ Ignorance
Nightmares
Severe anxiety
Insomnia
Negative mood swings
Numbing
Panic / Worrying
Agression
Tendency to self- harm
Low self- esteem
Feeling empty
Hypervigilance
Many people will experience some PTSD symptoms immediately after a traumatic event. Only those who experience severe symptoms that interfere with everyday life for at least a month may develop PTSD.
Those suffering from PTSD experience at least one symptom from each of the four groups for at least one month.
Re - experiencing
Flashbacks, nightmares, distressing thoughts that are signs of stress.
Avoidance
Avoiding people, places, objects and thoughts that are reminders of traumatic events.
Arousal and Reactivity
Feeling hypervigiliant, 'on-edge', irritable, having difficulty concentrating
Cognition and mood
Negative mood swings about oneself or the world around , low self-esteem , feeling isolated.
PTSD is treatable !
There are several treatment methods available that can significantly reduce PTSD symptoms :
EMDR
Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing theory
CBT
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Exposure therapy
Semantic therapy
For each individual some treatment methods may be more effective than the other , it is better you consult a psychiatrist and let them figure out what's best for you.
Only mental health professionals can provide a PTSD diagnosis. If you're experiencing symptoms and think you might be developing PTSD , and its best to make an appointment with a mental health professional.
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