WHAT IS POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER?
Some people have the misfortune of witnessing or being the victims of traumatic events such as emotional or physical abuse, accidents, civil unrest, war, and natural disasters.
As you can imagine, such events can inflict profound emotional wounds that don’t always heal fully with time.
PTSD Test
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that occurs in apparently healthy individuals who’ve been exposed to extreme stressors such as car accidents, sexual assault, war, unexpected deaths, etc.
In general, people with this disorder experience flashbacks, hypervigilance, panic attacks, and insomnia. On top of that, those with post-traumatic stress disorder are at risk of developing depression or anxiety.
Does everyone who Experiences Trauma get PTSD?
Post traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by three broad categories of problems: involuntary recurrent memories of past trauma, avoidance of trauma-associated stimuli, and persistent hyperactivity and hypervigilance.
Signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
People who identify with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can experience a wide array of physiological and psychological symptoms.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms:
- Flashbacks
- Recurrent memories of past traumatic experiences
- Insomnia, nightmares, and night terrors
- Memory gaps
- Muscle tension
- Restlessness and vigilance
- Guilt and sadness
- Lack of focus
- Outbursts of anger
- Self-destructive behaviors
- Crushing feeling of loneliness and isolation
- Agoraphobia
- An overall grim perspective on the future due to PTSD
How Long do PTSD Symptoms Last?
How is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treated?
Since this disorder is often accompanied by depression and anxiety, it can be quite challenging for healthcare professionals to determine the right course of treatment After taking an online quiz to address your emotions and experiences, a licensed professional will also take an inventory of your symptoms before moving forward with treatment.
Most experts choose to approach this condition from both a pharmacological and psychological angle.
Medication for PTSD Treatment
After weeks or even months of flashbacks and nightmares, people with post-traumatic stress disorder often end up feeling ‘drained’ and powerless. To avoid a tragic outcome, psychiatrists often recommend hospitalization and drug therapy.
Psychotherapy for PTSD
For people with this disorder, therapy represents a safe space where they can explore and relive a traumatic experience.
Under the careful guidance of a licensed therapist, anyone who may be experiencing symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder can learn to overcome past trauma and rediscover the joy of living.
It’s a relatively slow process that involves gradual exposure to past traumatic events through visualization exercises.
Online Therapy for PTSD Treatment
One valuable option for therapy to address post-traumatic stress disorder, is online therapy, as one can do it from the comfort of their home. For more information on getting online counseling help today, check out BetterHelp on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.
In time, and through repeated practice, people living with post-traumatic stress disorder, manage to integrate adverse events into their experience, thus relieving the pain and suffering associated with trauma.
PTSD Test: PTSD Test Information
If you or a loved one resonate with the symptoms and signs mentioned in this article, take the above quiz for more information on your track to find treatment and healing.
If you are in crisis or want to learn more about mental health, do not hesitate to call the hotlines below:
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) - 1-800-656-4673
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1-800-273-8255
- National Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-7233
- NAMI Helpline (National Alliance on Mental Illness) - 1-800-950-6264, for more information: [email protected], or visit their Facebook Page.
Where can I read more?
For more information on what PTSD is and what it may look like, check out these articles: