POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder that is triggered after a person is exposed to traumatic events either by experiencing it or witnessing it.
- Traumatic events such as sexual assault, warfare, crimes, fires, traffic collisions, natural disaster or other threats on a person’s life.
- People with PTSD have a heightened sense of danger causing them to feel stressed or fearful, even in save situations.
- Most people who have experienced a traumatic event will not develop PTSD.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder is more likely to occur in people who experience assault-based trauma such as rape and child abuse as compared to people who experience non-assault-based experiences such as accidents and natural disaster.
- About half of people who have had a rape experience develops the condition.
- It is thought to affect between 7 to 8 percent of the population, with women being more affected than men.
- A person with PTSD is at a higher risk for suicide and intentional self-harm.
- The condition can disrupt your whole life including your job, your relationships, your health and enjoyment of everyday activities.
CAUSES
Doctors are not sure why some people get PTSD but just like most mental health problems, the condition is caused by a mix of:
- Stressful experience including the severity and the amount of trauma a person has experienced.
- Inherited mental health risks such as anxiety and depression.
- The way the brain function particularly the way it regulates the chemicals and hormones the body releases in response to stress.
The following risk factors may increase the chance of experiencing symptoms:
- Having a job that increases your risk of getting exposed to traumatic events, such as military personnel.
- Having problems with substance abuse such as drug use or excessive drinking.
- Having blood relatives with mental health problems such as anxiety, and depression.
- Lacking a good support from family or friends.
- Experiencing intense or long-term trauma.
SYMPTOMS
PTSD symptoms are generally grouped into four types: avoidance, intrusive memories, negative changes in thinking and mood, changes in physical and emotional reactions.
Symptoms of avoidance are:
- Refusing to discuss the event
- Avoiding things such as places, activities or people that remind you of the traumatic event
Symptoms of intrusive memories are:
- Nightmares or upsetting dreams about the event
- Fearful thoughts
- Flashbacks and a sensation that the event is happening again
- Emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the event
Symptoms of negative in thinking and mood
- The feeling of guilt and blame
- Hopelessness about the future
- Negative thoughts about yourself, other people or the world
- Difficulty maintaining close relationships
- Lack of interest in activities once enjoyed
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling detached and estranged from others especially friends and family
- Memory problems, such as the inability to remember some aspects of the event
Symptoms changes in physical and emotional reactions
- sleep disturbances
- physical effects such as sweating, shaking, headaches, dizziness, aches and pains, and chest pain
- being easily startled or frightened
- always being on guard for danger
- irritability, angry outbursts or aggressive
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
The doctor will carry out a physical exam to look for signs of medication or an underlying medical condition that may be causing your problem.
The doctor will use a psychological evaluation that includes a discussion of your sign and symptoms and the event(s) that led to them
The criteria listed in the DSM-5 published by the American Psychiatric Association will be used as a diagnostic tool to evaluate the disorder.
TREATMENT
Treatment options include psychotherapy and counseling, medication, or a combination of both.
Several types of psychotherapy such as cognitive therapy, exposure therapy and eye movement desensitization reprocessing may be used.
Medications such as anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, prazosin are also used.
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