June is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month. |
By FREMS Division Erin Ward | |
June 2, 2023 | |
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder What is PTSD? What causes PTSD? Happened to you Happened to someone close to you You saw Examples include: Serious accidents, such as car or train wrecks Natural disasters, such as floods or earthquakes Manmade tragedies, such as bombings, a plane crash, a shooting Violent personal attacks, such as a mugging, rape, torture, being held captive, or kidnapping Military combat Abuse in childhood or adulthood Who is at risk for PTSD? Lack of family or social support resources Repeated exposure to traumatic circumstances Personal history of trauma or of an acute stress or anxiety disorder Family history of mental health disorders Personality traits of vulnerability and a lack of resilience History of childhood trauma Personality disorder or traits including borderline personality disorder, paranoia, dependency, or antisocial tendencies What are the symptoms of PTSD? Unwanted or intense memories of a trauma Nightmares Vivid memories or flashbacks that make you feel like you’re reliving the event Feeling worried, fearful, anxious, or suspicious Strong reactions when you’re reminded of the trauma (or sometimes for no obvious reason at all) Intrusive thoughts about combat, death, or killing Feeling disconnected or isolated, as if you’re not yourself Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed Feeling agitated, tense, on edge, or easily startled Bursts of anger or irritation Problems focusing Trouble falling or staying asleep The symptoms of PTSD may look like other mental health conditions. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. How is PTSD diagnosed? How long this illness lasts varies. Some people recover within 6 months. Others have symptoms that last much longer. How is PTSD treated? You may think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. In fact, taking action to make your life better takes a lot of courage. Talking about a trauma can be hard. But it can make a big difference. The main treatment for PTSD is counseling. You’ll work with a trained therapist to learn new ways to cope with your experiences. Medicine may also be prescribed to help with anxiety, depression, or sleep. Most people with PTSD have a combination of counseling and medicine for treatment. Types of counseling Cognitive processing therapy (CPT). This type of therapy helps you cope with negative thoughts linked to the trauma. You’ll work with a therapist to better understand how you think and feel about what happened. And you’ll learn skills to help you cope with the trauma. CPT won’t make you forget about what happened. But it can make the memories easier to live with. Prolonged exposure therapy. This helps you deal with thoughts and situations related to the trauma in new ways. You’ll learn breathing and relaxation methods to calm yourself when you come into contact with triggers. With your therapist’s help, you may go into situations that remind you of the trauma. You’ll learn to reduce your reactions over time. This can help with avoidance. You’ll also talk about the trauma to help you gain control over how you think and feel about it. Other therapies.Other therapies for PTSD include coping skills training, acceptance and commitment training, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), family counseling, and PTSD psychoeducation. Key points about PTSD PTSD may be triggered by a traumatic event that happened to the person or someone close to them. Or it may be something that the person saw. PTSD can occur in children and adults. The person may have flashbacks, stay away from stressful situations, or withdraw emotionally. Diagnosis is made by a healthcare provider when the symptoms last longer than 1 month. Treatment involves medicine and therapy to decrease the emotional effects of the disorder and increase coping skills. Next steps Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen. Before your visit, write down questions you want answered. Bring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your healthcare provider tells you. At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your healthcare provider gives you. Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. Also know what the side effects are. Ask if your condition can be treated in other ways. Know why a test or procedure is recommended and what the results could mean. Know what to expect if you do not take the medicine or have the test or procedure. If you have a follow-up appointment, write down the date, time, and purpose for that visit. Know how you can contact your healthcare provider if you have questions. © 2023 The StayWell Company, LLC |
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