Severe earthquakes that occur suddenly and unexpectedly can cause trauma. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is seen in 20 percent of people who experience earthquakes. Experts point out that post-traumatic stress disorder is 2-3 times more common in women, and that those who experience trauma after the earthquake feel constantly nervous, afraid of being alone and afraid to enter the house. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to consult a specialist in cases that negatively affect one's quality of life.
Stating that there may be many situations and events that cause distress and sadness in a person's life, but not all of them will cause mental trauma, Dr. Erman Şentürk said, "In order for an event to cause mental trauma, the person must have a very intense feeling of fear, terror or helplessness. At the same time, it is an important criterion for the evaluation that the person himself/herself or his/her relatives experience or feel the danger of death or injury. Natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and fires can cause trauma. Man-made war, torture, rape, accidents, traffic accidents, work accidents, unexpected sudden deaths, serious and fatal illnesses are also more likely to cause mental trauma. Two psychiatric conditions are very common after psychological trauma. One of them is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the other is depression."
What are the Symptoms of Depression?
Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Erman Şentürk said that intense unhappiness, pessimism, reluctance, lack of joy, not enjoying anything, not being interested in things that he used to enjoy, not making any plans and programs for the future, intense lack of energy, sleep and appetite changes are also frequently observed in depression.
Stating that there are many people in the society who have experienced mental trauma, but some of them develop post-traumatic stress disorder, Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Erman Şentürk said, "It is possible to say that post-traumatic stress disorder can last for many years and is a disorder that can lead to serious loss of workforce. Studies show that 20 percent of people who experienced the earthquake suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Some people may be more prone to this condition or some people may be more resilient. It is not very easy for us to know in advance who will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or who will experience this condition for a longer period of time, but there are some signals and symptoms related to this."
Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Erman Şentürk said that studies have revealed that post-traumatic stress disorder is 2-3 times more common in women than in men. Dr. Erman Şentürk said, "Those who have experienced a different mental trauma in the past, those who have had mental illness in their past history, and those who have psychiatric disorders in their relatives are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder."
Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Erman Şentürk warned that "The more severe the mental trauma is experienced, the more severe and long-lasting its effects are" and said, "For example, a person who lost a relative in an earthquake is more prone to post-traumatic stress disorder because a person who lost a relative in an earthquake can experience mental trauma more severely than a person who did not lose a relative, or a person whose house was damaged, a person who lost his house than a person who did not experience these situations, and worst of all, a person who was trapped under the rubble is more prone to post-traumatic stress disorder than a person who was not trapped.
Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Erman Şentürk emphasized that avoidance behaviors such as not going to the place where the event happened and trying to live as if the event did not happen cause post-traumatic stress disorder more, "Especially after the earthquake, people cannot stay alone in the house, constantly feeling the need to be with a relative, feeling very restless and tense when the relative leaves the house, not wanting to enter the house, going to relatives are among the symptoms we observe very often."
How is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treated?
Commenting on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Erman Şentürk said, "The most important situation here is the degree to which the person is affected by the trauma. For people who are only slightly affected by the trauma and can continue their lives as before, information is generally sufficient. For people who are more affected by the trauma, who experience symptoms but can continue their work, counseling or a very short-term psychiatric treatment approach may be sufficient. We recommend psychiatric treatment for people who have been severely affected by the trauma and are experiencing serious symptoms, but are still able to continue their work. Again, counseling plays an important role here."
Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Erman Şentürk said that psychiatric treatment is recommended for people who are seriously affected by trauma and have severe symptoms and concluded his words as follows
"If depression is added to PTSD symptoms, we definitely recommend medication. In drug treatment, antidepressant treatment is mostly applied. At the same time, some anxiolytic treatments can also be added. In addition to medication, we know that therapies are also effective. Especially the therapy method we call cognitive behavioral therapy helps people to overcome this process more easily."