June is PTSD Awareness Month.
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental disorder. Mental health conditions It develops in people who have experienced a traumatic event.
Anyone who has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event can develop PTSD.
Soldiers with PTSD receive ‘significant’ benefits from service dogs, first NIH-funded study finds
Some possible causes of PTSD include war, natural disasters, assault, or accidents.
One group in which PTSD is prevalent is veterans.
PTSD can affect people of all ages. A person can develop PTSD after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. (iStock)
People of all ages can be affected. People with PTSD often experience feelings of fear or stress, even when no danger is present.
Below is one An in-depth look at PTSD, This includes symptoms, dealing with triggers, and common treatment options.
- What are the symptoms of PTSD?
- Who gets PTSD?
- How do you recover from PTSD triggers?
- Does PTSD ever go away?
1. What are the symptoms of PTSD?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are four main categories of symptoms associated with PTSD.
According to the same source, all of the following symptoms must be present for at least one month in order for a person to be diagnosed with PTSD.
- re-experiencing at least one symptom
- at least one avoidance symptom
- At least two provocation and reactivity symptoms
- At least two cognition and mood symptoms
One of the most common symptoms is flashbacks. Flashbacks occur when certain aspects of the traumatic event are recalled, making the person feel as if the past event is happening right now.
Some other things related to re-experience Symptoms include nightmares, It’s also possible that hearing or smelling something may cause a person to relive the event, according to the National Center for PTSD.
Veterans walk 100 miles from Maine to Massachusetts to raise PTSD awareness: ‘It changed my life’
Avoidance symptoms involve the person doing things that take them away from the traumatic event. This can mean avoiding places or events that remind them of the traumatic event, trying to avoid thinking or talking about the event, avoiding people who remind them of the event, and feeling the need to always keep busy.
Next, there are symptoms that relate to arousal and reactivity.
A person suffering from PTSD may experience many different symptoms. One common symptom is experiencing flashbacks. (iStock)
These symptoms include aggressive behavior, difficulty concentrating, feeling restless, having trouble sleeping, always being on alert, exhibiting self-destructive behavior, and getting scared easily.
Finally, there are cognition and mood symptoms. These symptoms include negative thoughts about yourself and the world, feeling hopeless about the future, memory problems, difficulty maintaining close relationships, feeling isolated from the people around you, loss of interest in different activities, feelings of guilt, feeling like you can’t trust anyone, and feeling negative emotions.
2. Who gets PTSD?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anyone can develop PTSD at any age.
The National PTSD Center states that most people experience some traumatic event in their lifetime that is likely to cause PTSD.
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The best estimates from the National Center for PTSD indicate that about five (5%) of every one hundred adults in the United States will have PTSD in any given year. Additionally, the vast majority of people who experience a traumatic event do not develop PTSD.
Veteran soldiers are a group According to the source, most of these people suffer from PTSD more than the average civilian, especially if they are deployed to a war zone.
3. How do you recover from PTSD triggers?
There are many different approaches to dealing with the triggers that cause PTSD.
Some common ways to deal with triggers include practicing various techniques to relax, such as focusing on breathing, relaxation with something like music, Spending time outdoors and meditating, according to the National Center for PTSD.
Seeking help from a support group or specialist can help a person cope with PTSD. (iStock)
Other things that can help you deal with triggers include talking to someone about your feelings, finding a support group with people going through the same thing, and seeking help from experts.
more recently, specially trained service dogs In some cases it has also been used to help reduce the symptoms that arise in a person suffering from PTSD.
4. Does PTSD ever go away?
According to the National Center for PTSD, not everyone with PTSD needs medical treatment, as most people’s symptoms fade over time, usually within the first few weeks and months after the trauma.
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This is not true for everyone.
In some cases, symptoms may persist for several years.
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According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a common treatment for PTSD is psychotherapy, also called talk therapy.
According to the source, some common forms of psychotherapy for PTSD treatment are cognitive therapy and exposure therapy.
Sometimes medication also needs to be given.
