What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)?

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or pTSD, is a psychiatric illness that could occur following the experience or witnessing of a life threatening events such as physical or sexual assault in childhood or adult, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or military combat. Most survivors of injury return to regular allowed a little time. Yet, some people will have pressure responses which don't go away on their own, or may get worse over time. These individuals may develop PTSD. Those who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have trouble sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms could be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person's everyday life.

People with PTSD experience three different types of symptoms. The first group of symptoms requires thinking about the trauma when you're attempting to do something else or reliving the trauma in some way for example becoming upset when confronted with a traumatic reminder. The next set of symptoms includes staying away from areas or people that remind you of the trauma, isolating from other people, or feeling numb. The 3rd set of symptoms includes things for example feeling on guard, irritable, or startling easily.

PTSD is marked by clear biological changes in addition to psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the truth that people with PTSD frequently may develop additional illnesses for example depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder is, in addition, associated with damage of the person's skill to function in family or social life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and difficulties in parenting.

PTSD can be medicated with psychotherapy ('talk' therapy) and medicines for example antidepressants. Early treatment is essential and may help reduce long term symptoms. Unfortunately, lots of people do not know they have PTSD or don't seek treatment. This fact sheet can help you to better understand the and PTSD how it can be medicated.

Do you know the symptoms of PTSD?

Although PTSD symptoms can begin right after a traumatic event, PTSD is not diagnosed unless the symptoms last for a minumum of one month, and cause significant distress or interfere with work or home life. To be able to be diagnosed with PTSD, a person must have three different kinds of symptoms: reexperiencing arousal symptoms, numbing and avoidance symptoms, and symptoms.

Re-experiencing Symptoms

Re experiencing symptoms are symptoms that include reliving the traumatic event. There are a number of ways in which folks may relive a trauma. They may have disturbing memories of the traumatic occurrence. These memories can come back when they are not expecting them. At other times the memories might be activated by a painful reminder such as when a battle veteran hears a car backfire, an automobile accident victim drives by a car crash or a rape victim sees a news report of a recent sexual assault. Both mental and physical reactions can be caused by these memories. Occasionally these memories can feel so real it's as in the event the event is truly occurring again. This really is known as a "flashback." Reliving the occasion can cause intense feelings of fear, helplessness, and horror much like the feelings they had when the event took place.

Avoidance and Numbing Symptoms

Avoidance symptoms are efforts people make to prevent the painful event. Individuals with PTSD may attempt to avoid situations that trigger memories of the traumatic occurrence. They may avoid viewing TV programs or news reports about similar occasions or going near places where the injury occurred. They may avoid other PTSD group sights, sounds, odors, or individuals that are reminders of the traumatic event. Some people find that they try to deflect themselves as one means to prevent considering the traumatic occurrence.

Numbing symptoms are another method to avoid the painful event. People with PTSD may find it difficult to be in touch with their feelings or express emotions toward others. For example, they may feel emotionally "numb" and may isolate from others. They may be less interested in activities you once enjoyed. Many people are unable to talk about, or forget, important elements of the occasion. Some will not achieve personal goals such as having a career or family or think that they can have a shortened life span.

Arousal Symptoms

Individuals with PTSD may feel always attentive after the traumatic event. This is known as increased emotional arousal, also it may cause difficulty sleeping, outbursts of anger or irritability, and difficulty concentrating. They may find they are constantly 'on guard' and on the lookout for indications of risk. They could also discover that they get startled.

What other problems do individuals with PTSD experience?

It is extremely common for other conditions to occur along with PTSD, including depression, stress, or substance abuse. More than half of men with PTSD also have difficulties with alcohol. The following most common co-occurring problems in men are melancholy, followed then, and by conduct disorder problems with drugs. In women, the most typical co-occurring problem is depression. Just under half of women with PTSD also experience depression. The following most common co-occurring issues in girls are particular anxieties, social anxiety, and then issues with booze.

Individuals with PTSD often have problems operating. Generally speaking, individuals with PTSD have partner abuse, divorce or separation, more unemployment and likelihood of being fired than people without PTSD. Vietnam veterans with PTSD were discovered to get issues with employment, many issues with family and other interpersonal relationships, and increased incidents of violence.

Individuals with PTSD also may experience a wide selection of physical symptoms. This really is a standard event in those who have depression and other anxiety disorders. Some evidence suggests that PTSD might be related to increased likelihood of developing medical illnesses. Research is ongoing, and it is too soon to draw strong conclusions about which particular disorders are associated with PTSD.

How common is PTSD?

An estimated 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives, with women (10.4%) twice as likely as men (5%) to develop PTSD. About 3.6 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 54 (5.2 million people) have PTSD during the course of a given year. This represents a tiny part of those that have experienced at least one traumatic event; 60.7% of men and 51.2% of women reported at least one traumatic event. The traumatic events most often associated with PTSD for men are rape, combat exposure, childhood neglect, and childhood physical abuse. The most traumatic events for women are rape, sexual molestation, physical attack, being threatened with a weapon, and childhood physical abuse.

About 30 percent of the women and men that have spent time in war zones experience PTSD. An added 20 to 25 percent have had partial PTSD at some time in their own own lives. More than half of all male Vietnam veterans and almost half of all female Vietnam veterans have experienced "clinically serious stress reaction symptoms." PTSD has also been detected among veterans of other wars. Approximations of PTSD from the Gulf War are not as low as 10%. Estimates from the war in Afghanistan are between 6 and 11%. Current estimates of PTSD in military personnel who served in Iraq range from 12% to 20%.