POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

What is PTSD? How do i deal with it?

If you are involved in or witness a traumatic event, it is common to experience upsetting, distressing or confusing feelings afterwards. The feelings of distress may not emerge straight away – you may just feel emotionally numb at first. After a while you may develop emotional and physical reactions, such as feeling easily upset or not being able to sleep.

This is understandable, and many people find that these symptoms disappear in a relatively short period of time. But if your problems last for longer than a month, or are very extreme, you may be given a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

There’s no time limit on distress, and some people may not develop post-traumatic symptoms until many years after the event. Additionally, not everyone who has experienced a traumatic event develops PTSD.

A N G E R

The symptoms of PTSD can vary from person to person, although you may experience some of the following.

Reliving aspects of the trauma:

vivid flashbacks (feeling that the trauma is happening all over again)
intrusive thoughts and images
nightmares
intense distress at real or symbolic reminders of the trauma
physical sensations, such as pain, sweating, nausea or trembling.

Alertness or feeling on edge:

panicking when reminded of the trauma
being easily upset or angry
extreme alertness
a lack of or disturbed sleep
irritability and aggressive behaviour
lack of concentration
being easily startled
self-destructive behaviour or recklessness.

Other terms for PTSD:

The diagnosis ‘PTSD’ was first used by veterans of the Vietnam War, but the problem has existed for a lot longer and has had a variety of names, including:

shell shock
soldier’s heart
battle fatigue
combat stress
post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS)

Today, the term PTSD can be used to describe the psychological problems resulting from any traumatic event.

Often it isn't the initiating trauma that creates seemingly insurmountable pain, but the lack of support after.

- Unknown

Always remember, if you have been diagnosed with PTSD , it is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is proof of your strength, because you have survived.

- Michel Templet

“I was mugged and then about a year later I was on the Tube when the police were trying to arrest someone who had a gun. In neither experience was I physically injured – although in the second one I thought I was going to die and that I was going to see lots of other people die.”

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