PTSD or Post-traumatic Disorder is a serious condition that occurs after a traumatic incident where there was physical harm or threat. It is normal for a person to become distressed after encountering such episodes. However, if they persist to have intense fear, nightmares, and intrusive memories that interfere with their normal function, they could be experiencing PTSD. Some examples that could bring about PTSD include sexual or physical assault, the death of a loved one, or a major accident.
PTSD Symptoms
Symptoms usually occur immediately or within 3 months after the traumatic event. In rare cases, it may only show years after the incident. Shock, anger, and fear are all common reactions to most people. But for those suffering from the disorder, these feelings persist and exacerbate over time. In general, the symptoms are categorized as below:
- Reliving the experience. PTSD sufferers repeatedly relive the traumatic episode through flashbacks, nightmares, or hallucinations. They also become severely distressed when reminded of things associated with the event such as the anniversary date, etc.
- Avoidance. People with PTSD will avoid places or people that remind them of the traumatic incident. They will avoid all things that remind them of the memory and not be able to talk about it either.
- Arousal or inability to relax. This includes getting easily startled, frightened, irritable, and having difficulty concentrating. They will also have problems falling asleep or staying asleep and inclined to have bouts of emotional outbursts.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Not everyone who experiences a traumatic incident will have PTSD. Everyone’s ability to cope with stress differs. A person is diagnosed with PTSD if they have at least one symptom of reliving the trauma and a couple of symptoms from the other two categories. It is also only diagnosed after a month of the traumatic event.
Treatment for PTSD is a combination of medication and psychotherapy, the latter being the primary treatment. Psychotherapy will help the individual identify their thought patterns and learn to gradually manage and change them. Types of psychotherapy commonly used to treat PTSD include Cognitive-behavioural Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, and Eye-movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. Recovery is gradual. Most treated patients are able to manage their feelings related to the trauma and function normally.