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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD
By admin | November 17, 2007
WHAT IS PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.
The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.
People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb, lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent. They avoid situations that remind them of the original incident, and anniversaries of the incident are often very difficult.
THE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD
After the trauma, there is a dysfunction of the normal defense systems, which results in certain symptoms. The symptoms are produced in three different ways:
1. Re-experiencing the trauma
2. Persistent avoidance
3. Increased arousal
1. A person can have nightmares about the trauma, experincing the fear and horror over and over again. People also can experience physical reactions to stress, such as sweating and rapid heart rate.
2. The second way that symptoms are produced is by persistent avoidance. The avoidance refers to the person’s efforts to avoid trauma-related thoughts or feelings and activities or situations that may trigger memories of the trauma.
3. The third way that symptoms are produced is by an increased state of arousal of the affected person. These arousal symptoms include sleep disturbances, irritability, outbursts of anger, difficulty concentrating, physical changes ( ie. weight gain or weight loss)…
PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR PTSD
People that have had childhood trauma may be particularly sensitive if they are re-traumatized by the therapy itself. It means, with review and discussion of the traumatic event, they may develop a more severe and perhaps chronic variant of PTSD. That’s why psychodynamic psychotherapy is recommended,where a focus is on past traumas and how they are rekindled by the present experiences.
Exposure therapy consists of education about common reactions to trauma, breathing retraining and repeated exposure to the past trauma in graduated doses. As a result of this kind of therapy, the traumatic issue or event can be remembered without the anxiety or panic resulting.
Cognitive therapy involves separating the intrusive thoughts from the associated anxiety that they produce. Cognitive therapy also helps patients that have avoidance because with this therapy, patients no longer need to avoid situations or places that may be reminders of the trauma. They become happier and start enjoying life again, without past traumas.
Topics: Health, Men's Health, Mental Health, Women's Health | No Comments »
