PTSD
Information
Following a stint in a war zone, veterans return home changed.
While
many are strengthened by the challenges of combat, others
return with a changed view of themselves and the world around
them. For some, reactions to their experiences may be short-lived
(perhaps lasting the first few months of reintegration back
into civilian life). For others, healing may require long-term
vigilance and care (lasting months, years and even decades).
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder
that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event.
A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you
see or that happens to you. During this type of event, you
think that your life or others' lives are in danger. You may
feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is
happening.
Anyone
who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop
PTSD.
These events can include:
Combat
or military exposure
Child sexual or physical abuse
Terrorist attacks
Sexual or physical assault
Serious accidents, such as a car wreck.
Natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood,
or earthquake.
After
the event, you may feel scared, confused, or angry. If these
feelings don't go away or they get worse, you may have PTSD.
These symptoms may disrupt your life, making it hard to continue
with your daily activities.
How does PTSD develop?
All
people with PTSD have lived through a traumatic event that
caused them to fear for their lives, see horrible things,
and feel helpless. Strong emotions caused by the event create
changes in the brain that may result in PTSD.
Most
people who go through a traumatic event have some symptoms
at the beginning. Yet only some will develop PTSD. It isn't
clear why some people develop PTSD and others don't.
How likely you are to get PTSD depends on many things:
How intense
the trauma was or how long it lasted
If you lost someone you were close to or were hurt
How close you were to the event
How strong your reaction was
How much you felt in control of events
How much help and support you got after the event
Many
people who develop PTSD get better at some time. But about
1 out of 3 people with PTSD may continue to have some symptoms.
Even if you continue to have symptoms, treatment can help
you cope. Your symptoms don't have to interfere with your
everyday activities, work, and relationships.
Finding
and Choosing a Therapist
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
Symptoms
of PTSD can be terrifying. They may disrupt your life and
make it hard to continue with your daily activities. It may
be hard just to get through the day.
PTSD
symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but
they may not happen until months or years later. They also
may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer
than 4 weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with
your work or home life, you probably have PTSD.
There
are four types of PTSD symptoms:
Reliving
the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms):
Bad memories
of the traumatic event can come back at any time. You may
feel the same fear and horror you did when the event took
place. You may have nightmares. You even may feel like you're
going through the event again. This is called a flashback.
Sometimes there is a trigger -- a sound or sight that causes
you to relive the event. Triggers might include:
Hearing a car backfire, which can bring back memories of gunfire
and war for a combat Veteran.
Seeing a car accident, which can remind a crash survivor of
his or her own accident.
Seeing a news report of a sexual assault, which may bring
back memories of assault for a woman who was raped.
Avoiding
situations that remind you of the event:
You may
try to avoid situations or people that trigger memories of
the traumatic event. You may even avoid talking or thinking
about the event. For example:
A person who was in an earthquake may avoid watching television
shows or movies in which there are earthquakes.
A person who was robbed at gunpoint while ordering at a hamburger
drive-in may avoid fast-food restaurants.
Some people may keep very busy or avoid seeking help. This
keeps them from having to think or talk about the event.
Feeling numb:
You may
find it hard to express your feelings. This is another way
to avoid memories.
You may not have positive or loving feelings toward other
people and may stay away from relationships.
You may not be interested in activities you used to enjoy.
You may not be able to remember parts of the traumatic event
or not be able to talk about them.
Feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal):
You may
be jittery, or always alert and on the lookout for danger.
This is known as hyperarousal.
It can cause you to:
Suddenly become angry or irritable
Have a hard time sleeping.
Have trouble concentrating.
Fear for your safety and always feel on guard.
Be very startled when something surprises you.
Finding
and Choosing a Therapist
What
are other common problems?
People with PTSD may also have other problems. These include:
Drinking
or drug problems.
Feelings of hopelessness, shame, or despair.
Employment problems.
Relationships problems including divorce and violence.
Physical symptoms.
Can
children have PTSD?
Children
can have PTSD too. They may have the symptoms described above
or other symptoms depending on how old they are. As children
get older, their symptoms are more like those of adults.
Here are some examples of PTSD symptoms in children:
Young children
may become upset if their parents are not close by, have trouble
sleeping, or suddenly have trouble with toilet training or
going to the bathroom.
Children who are in the first few years of elementary school
(ages 6 to 9) may act out the trauma through play, drawings,
or stories. They may complain of physical problems or become
more irritable or aggressive. They also may develop fears
and anxiety that don't seem to be caused by the traumatic
event.
What
treatments are available?
When
you have PTSD, dealing with the past can be hard. Instead
of telling others how you feel, you may keep your feelings
bottled up. But treatment can help you get better.
There
are good treatments available for PTSD. Cognitive behavioral
therapy (CBT)appears to be the most effective type of counseling
for PTSD. There are different types of cognitive behavioral
therapies such as cognitive therapy and exposure therapy.
A similar kind of therapy called EMDR, or eye movement desensitization
and reprocessing, is also used for PTSD. Medications can be
effective too. A type of drug known as a selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which is also used for depression,
is effective for PTSD.
Finding
and Choosing a Therapist
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