Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for certain physchological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with, stressful experiences that the person experiences as highly traumatic. [1] The experience must involve actual or threatened death, serious physical injury, or a threat to physical and/or psychological integrity. It is occasionally called post-traumatic stress reation to emphasise that is is a routine result of traumatic experience rather than a manifestation of a pre-existing psychological weakness.
It is possible for individuals to experience traumatic stress without manifesting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as indicated in the Dignostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Symptoms and Feelings
Traumatic events include:
- war
- torture
- rape
- child sexual or physical assult
- physical assult
- being kidnapped
- terrorism
- a natural disaster (e.g. a bushfire, flood or cyclone)
- a major car accident
- being diagnosed with a potentially fatal illness e.g. cancer
- finding the body of someone who has committed suicide or been murdered
The Intrustive Sysptoms include:
- Distressing thoughts or images
- Nighmares about the event
- Feeling or acting as if the traumatic event were recurring
- Intense psychological distress when exposed to something that triggers memories of the traumatic event
- Physical symptoms such as sweating, muscle tension and rapid heartbeat when exposed to things that trigger memories of the traumatic event
- Symptoms can include general restlessness, insomnia, agressiveness, depression, disassociation, emotional detachment and nightmares. A potential symptom is memory loss about an aspect of the traumatic event. Young children suffering from PTSD will often re-enact aspects of the trauma through their play and may often have nightmares that lack any recognisable content.
Contributing Factors:
The Avoidance Symptoms include:
- Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the trauma, as well as any feelings associated with the trauma.
- PTSD sufferers may resort to alcohol or illicit drugs to block out unwanted memories and feelings. According to the Australian Centre for Post Traumatic Mental Health (1999), approximately 50% of men and 25% of women with chronic PTSD have drug and alcohol issues.
- Avoiding people, places and activities that trigger memories of the traumatic event.
- Not remembering an important part of the traumatic event.
- Losing interest in, and enjoyment of e.g. leisure activities, study, work or stop participating in such activities altogether.
- Feeling detached from other people.
- Being unable to feel joy or have loving feelings.
- Not be able to see a future for themselves, they dont't expect to get married, have family, live a long time.
Ten Physical Sumptoms include:
- Sleep disturbance
- Irritability or anger
- Impaired concentration
- Being always on the alert for signs of danger
- The PTSD sufferer may be constantly scanning their surroundings for possible threats, e.g. someone who has been in a major car accident may become a back seat driver. Someone who has been physically assaulted may always sit with their back to a wall so knowone can sneak up behind them.
- Being easily startled
- The PTSD sufferer may overreact to something such as a noise. E.g. a war veteran may be shaken if they hear a car backfire because of their past experience of being threatened by gun fire.
Where do I go now?
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These symptoms are abviusly very disruptive and stressful to the victim as well as their families and friends. It can even impair job performance and social functinoing. Individuals who feel they are unable to regain control of their lives, or who experience any of the above symptoms for more than a month, should consider seeking outside professional mental health assistance.
Type of Treatment
Psychological Treatment of PTSD in adults involves a number of phases, including:
Physchological Treatment of children with PTSD may include:
-
Play therapy
Information about PTSD
Anxiety, anger and depression management techniques
Cognitive therapy
(Foa, Davidson & Frances (1999)
It is common for PTSD sufferers to have other psychological disorders as well. The most common mental conditions accompanying PTSD include: drug and alcohol issues, depression, social anxiety, panic and/or agoraphobia, generalised anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar mood disorder. (Foa, Davidson & Frances (1999).
Links -
http://www.anxietyaustralia.com.au/depression.shtml
http://www.perthclinic.com.au/treatmentprograms/ptsd.asp
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/PTStress.html
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Post_Traumatic_Stress
http://www.vvaa.org.au/ptsd.htm
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/ptsdmenu.cfm