What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Most of us have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event (loss of a loved one, serious illness, accident or personal attack). Over time, the grieving period passes, the pain subsides and life resumes as normal. Most of us recover spontaneously after a traumatic event. However, some people may not recover months or even years after the traumatic event and continue to experience extreme stress or anxiety due to the trauma.
They often have flashbacks or nightmares about the event, find it difficult to relax, concentrate or sleep, and feel alienated from loved ones. In this case we speak of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Why Does Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Happen?
It is not known why some people develop PTSD after a traumatic event and others do not. However, it is known that the more serious, prolonged and dangerous the trauma, the more likely a person is to develop PTSD.
In particular, trauma inflicted by other people (rape, war or assault) is more likely to cause PTSD.
Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Insomnia
- Nightmare
- Constantly recalling bad memories of the traumatizing event
- Living with fear and anxiety that the incident will happen again
- Don't be startled by the slightest thing
- Quick anger
- Inability to plan for the future
- Thinking that people don't understand him/her and what he/she is going through
- Avoid the slightest reminder of the event
What are the Risk Factors for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?
There are a number of risk factors that play a role in the development of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, these factors may differ for each individual and multiple factors can contribute to the development of PTSD. Some of the risk factors for PTSD:
Severity of Trauma: As the severity and intensity of the event increases, the risk of PTSD may increase.
Age and Gender: In general, children, young adults and women may be more susceptible to traumatic events and at higher risk of PTSD.
Mental Health History: Having a history of depression, anxiety or another mental disorder can increase the risk of PTSD.
Family History: Individuals with a family history of psychiatric disorders or PTSD may be at increased risk of PTSD.
Lack of Social Support: Lack of adequate social support after a traumatic event may affect the development of PTSD.
Coping Skills: Poor coping skills may increase the risk of PTSD.
Additional Traumatic Events: Experiencing other traumatic events after the initial traumatic event may increase the risk of PTSD.
Physical Harm: Physical harm to oneself or others can increase the risk of PTSD.
Personality Traits: Personality traits, especially impulsivity, disorganization and negative thought patterns, can increase the risk of PTSD.
Diagnostic Criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Not being able to get rid of the memories of trauma:
After traumatizing events, the effects of this event continue and increase as long as there is no intervention. These effects include constantly remembering the moment of the event, having nightmares, feeling and behaving as if they are reliving the event, being overly affected by even the smallest thing that may be related to the event, having difficulty remembering a large part of the event, feeling isolated and alienated from the world. Unless professional support is sought, these and similar situations will pull the person back to the moment of trauma and make it harder to recover.
Trying to Avoid Situations Reminding the Trauma:
A person may try to avoid or ignore situations that remind them of the trauma, but this does not help the person to recover from the trauma or reduce the effects of the trauma. On the contrary, the person continues to experience the trauma in his/her own inner world and the effects of the trauma get worse over time.
Symptoms of Extreme Vigilance:
The person may have difficulty falling asleep, has difficulty concentrating on anything. He/she feels uneasy in every situation, his/her sensitivity to sounds and movements increases, so he/she is in a constant state of startle. Emotions such as anger can be very high even for the smallest events.
How does Post Traumatic Stress Disorder go away?
People should first consult a doctor. While continuing the treatment with the doctor, the person should adopt that this is a period and that he/she needs some time. They should be in constant and regular communication with their doctor. People should not use alcohol or drugs to forget or alleviate the traumatizing events, as these methods offer only momentary solutions and can lead to worse problems and negatively affect the treatment. The person can relax by joining a group or talking to people who have been through similar things. Having information about PTSD also helps the person to get rid of the question marks in his/her mind and become more comfortable. In this way, they can resist their trauma in a stronger way. At the same time, doing the things you love with the people you love also relaxes the person. In addition, the individual should also pay attention to his/her body health; he/she should accustom himself/herself to a healthy diet and exercise regimen.
How Long Does Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Last?
Depending on the event that caused the trauma and the person exposed to the trauma, this condition can sometimes last for a very short time, while sometimes it can last for years.
Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Psychotherapy is the most common way to treat PTSD. There are many types of psychotherapy, also called talk therapy. Cognitive therapy, for example, aims to help the person recognize patterns and negative thoughts, such as the recurrence of trauma. Cognitive therapy is often accompanied by exposure therapy. Exposure therapy involves confronting the person with the cause of their trauma in a safe environment under completely safe conditions. Exposure therapy is often more useful for people who are constantly experiencing the traumatizing event and are more sensitive to nightmares.
EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is also an effective form of psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD. By combining eye movements with guided support, EMDR helps people undergoing exposure therapy to differentiate their reactions to trauma memories.
At the same time, with the help of a specialized therapist, the person's ability to manage stress can be improved, making it easier to cope. In addition to individual therapy, group therapy can also contribute positively. Interacting with other people who have experienced the same or similar things plays an important role in helping people overcome their trauma.
Medications can also be used in the treatment of PTSD. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications can help to treat the symptoms. These medications are also often effective for sleep problems. Anti-anxiety medication can be harmful as well as helpful, so it should be used under the supervision of a doctor and for a short period of time.
Neurofeedback can also be used as a new and effective treatment. Neurofeedback is a method that supports the person in changing the waves produced in the brain.
About Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorder, also called anxiety disorder, is a psychological disorder that causes a person to feel a constant state of worry. When it is low, it is a normal part of life; it helps to stay away from harm and to protect oneself by acting immediately in case of danger. However, in some cases, this condition, which negatively affects daily life, can occur with panic attacks. Up to 20% of the population suffers from anxiety and these people constantly think involuntarily about the worst possible events. This situation affects the person's daily life very badly. Anxiety is more common in people who have been exposed to a protective attitude during childhood and in people who have been ignored by bad reactions from others. It can also be passed on genetically, so it is also important to have people with anxiety in the family.
There are types of anxiety;
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Panicatac
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Phobias
- Agoraphobia
- Anxiety
- Selective Mute
Differences Between Posttraumatic Anxiety Disorder and PTSD
Normal anxiety includes having frightening thoughts or images after a traffic accident, having difficulty sleeping or concentrating, feeling agitated and irritable for days and weeks after the accident and then returning to normal. Preferring to be alone after witnessing someone's sudden death, avoiding people and places related to the event, and not participating in activities with family/friends are also seen in normal anxiety. In addition to these, being afraid of life-threatening natural disasters, losing belongings, being angry and irritable are also seen in normal anxiety. These are all normal symptoms of anxiety and should not normally last more than a few weeks.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by constant, chronic, disturbing, unexpected memories, flashbacks or nightmares about the traffic accident; a sudden outpouring of emotion long after the trauma has passed and a feeling of reliving the moment of the accident over and over again. The person avoids everything and everyone that reminds him/her of the deceased person, no matter what, becomes indifferent to everything and stays away from family/friends for months or years. In addition, even long after witnessing the natural disaster, the person experiences severe and recurrent irritability, restlessness, insomnia and loss of attention.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale
The PTSD scale is a scale administered by an expert and includes a number of questions about the traumatizing event and its aftermath in order to understand the dimensions of the trauma experienced.
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