What is PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)?

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What is PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)?

PTSD, or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develop PTSD. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life.

People with PTSD experience three different kinds of symptoms. The first set of symptoms involves reliving the trauma in some way such as becoming upset when confronted with a traumatic reminder or thinking about the trauma when you are trying to do something else. The second set of symptoms involves either staying away from places or people that remind you of the trauma, isolating from other people, or feeling numb. The third set of symptoms includes things such as feeling on guard, irritable, or startling easily.

PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the fact that people with PTSD often may develop additional disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder is also associated with impairment of the person’s ability to function in social or family life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and difficulties in parenting.

PTSD can be treated with psychotherapy (‘talk’ therapy) and medicines such as antidepressants. Early treatment is important and may help reduce long-term symptoms. Unfortunately, many people do not know that they have PTSD or do not seek treatment. This fact sheet will help you to better understand PTSD and the how it can be treated.

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

Although PTSD symptoms can begin right after a traumatic event, PTSD is not diagnosed unless the symptoms last for at least one month, and either cause significant distress or interfere with work or home life. In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, a person must have three different types of symptoms: re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance and numbing symptoms, and arousal symptoms.

http://www.ptsd.ne.gov/what-is-ptsd.html

Jim,

Please also post this on the Community Wall.

My Spiritual Counselor is right, I do have PTSD. I have been talking with Diane, and unknowing to me, this has been going on with me for years!!! I have many of the symptoms, and there are also some I do not have, mostly because I have always been a strong person, and figured out for myself how to make life easier for me when having to drive, that is for the most part of driving. Some jobs I have had, it was not possible for me to leave the house when there was very little traffic. I dealt with it by getting my mind wrapped around that I had to go and I would get there safe and get back home safe everyday.

I had no counseling on this ever because I did not know I even had it all these years, since I was 17 and I am now 60!!! This last accident brought it out and screaming crazy at me. I then called my Spiritual Counselor to speak to him about my anxiety of driving since my accident in December. He told me it wasn't just anxiety but that I had PTSD. He said, you're strong you will get through it. He counseled me on a relationship I was in and was abused in that relationship. That was my extent of counseling and he did not diagnose me with PTSD back then.

When through the years I would hear about this PTSD among Vets, I use to think how horrible life must be for them!!! Now me finding out I also have it, but not to the extent I am sure that Vets do, I can see first hand what life for them must be like, a living "Hell"!!!

Jim,

Hi Jim..