What is PTSD? It effects more people than just soldiers!
Posted by john on 8:17 PM
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| Regions of the brain affected by PTSD and stress. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
What
is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?
Post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) can develop following a traumatic event that threatens
your safety or makes you feel helpless.
Most
people associate PTSD with battle-scarred soldiers—and military combat is the
most common cause in men—but any overwhelming life experience can trigger PTSD,
especially if the event feels unpredictable and uncontrollable.
Post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) can affect those who personally experience the
catastrophe, those who witness it, and those who pick up the pieces afterwards,
including emergency workers and law enforcement officers. It can even occur in
the friends or family members of those who went through the actual trauma.
PTSD
develops differently from person to person. While the symptoms of PTSD most
commonly develop in the hours or days following the traumatic event, it can
sometimes take weeks, months, or even years before they appear.
Traumatic
events that can lead to PTSD include:
War
Natural
disasters
Car
or plane crashes
Terrorist
attacks
Sudden
death of a loved one
Kidnapping
Assault
Childhood
neglect
Or
any shattering event that leaves you stuck and feeling helpless and hopeless
The
difference between PTSD and a normal response to trauma
The
traumatic events that lead to post-traumatic stress disorder are usually so
overwhelming and frightening that they would upset anyone. Following a
traumatic event, almost everyone experiences at least some of the symptoms of
PTSD. When your sense of safety and trust are shattered, it’s normal to feel
crazy, disconnected, or numb. It’s very common to have bad dreams, feel
fearful, and find it difficult to stop thinking about what happened. These are
normal reactions to abnormal events.
For
most people, however, these symptoms are short-lived. They may last for several
days or even weeks, but they gradually lift. But if you have post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD), the symptoms don’t decrease. You don’t feel a little
better each day. In fact, you may start to feel worse.
A
normal response to trauma becomes PTSD when you become stuck
After
a traumatic experience, the mind and the body are in shock. But as you make
sense of what happened and process your emotions, you come out of it. With
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, you remain in psychological
shock. Your memory of what happened and your feelings about it are
disconnected. In order to move on, it’s important to face and feel your
memories and emotions.
