POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)

What is PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can happen to a person after experiencing a traumatic event that has caused them to feel fearful, shocked, or helpless. It can have long-term effects, including flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, and anxiety.

Examples of Such Events

Examples of events that can trigger PTSD include wars, crimes, fires, accidents, death of a loved one, or abuse of some form. Thoughts and memories recur even though the danger has passed. It is thought to affect between 7 and 8 percent of the population, and women are more likely to be affected than men.

Types of PTSD&Trauma

Trauma or PTSD symptoms can result from many different types of distressing experiences, including military combat, childhood neglect or abuse, racism, an accident, natural disaster, personal tragedy, or violence.

1. PTSD in military veterans

For all too many veterans, returning from military service means coping with symptoms of PTSD. They may have a hard time readjusting to life out of the military. Or they may constantly feel on edge, emotionally numb and disconnected, or close to panicking or exploding.

2. Emotional and psychological trauma

If one has experienced an extremely stressful event—or series of events—that’s left one feeling helpless and emotionally out of control, one may have been traumatized. Psychological trauma often has its roots in childhood, but any event that shatter sense of safety can leave one feeling traumatized, whether it’s an accident, injury, the sudden death of a loved one, bullying, domestic abuse, or a deeply humiliating experience.

3. Rape or sexual trauma

The trauma of being raped or sexually assaulted can be shattering, leaving one feeling scared, ashamed, and alone, or plagued by nightmares, flashbacks, and other unpleasant memories.

4. Racial trauma

Race-based traumatic stress stems from exposure to racist abuse, discrimination, or injustice. It can erode the sense of self-worth and lead to anxiety, depression, chronic stress, high blood pressure, disordered eating, substance abuse, and even symptoms of PTSD such as hypervigilance, negative thoughts, and mood changes.

Symptoms

The symptoms of PTSD usually start within 3 months of an event, but also can begin later.For a person to receive a diagnosis of PTSD, theymust meet criteria that are set out by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fifth Edition (DSM-5).

According to these guidelines, the person must:

1. Have been exposed to death or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence whether directly, through witnessing it, by it happening to a loved one, or during professional duties

2. Experience the following for more than one month:

• One or more intrusion symptoms

• One or more avoidance symptoms

• Two or more symptoms that affect mood and thinking

• Two or more arousal and reactivity symptoms that began after the trauma

Here are some examples of these four types of symptoms:

Intrusion symptoms:

• Nightmares

• Flashbacks and a sensation that the event is happening again

• Fearful thoughts

Avoidance symptoms:

• Refusing to discuss the event

• Avoiding situations that remind the person of the event

Arousal and reactivity symptoms:

• Difficulty sleeping

• Irritability and angry outbursts

• Hypersensitivity to possible dangers

• Feeling tense and anxious

Symptoms that affect mood and thinking:

• Inability to remember some aspects of the event

• Feelings of guilt and blame

• Feeling detached and estranged from others and emotionally and mentally numbed

• Having a reduced interest in life

• Difficulty concentrating

• Mental health problems, such as depression, phobias, and anxiety

In addition, the symptoms must lead to distress or difficulty coping with work or relationships, and they must not be due to the use of medication or other substances, or another health condition.

Physical symptoms

There may also be physical symptoms, but these are not included in the DSM-5 criteria:

• Physical effects include sweating, shaking, headaches, dizziness, stomach problems, aches and pains, and chest pain

• A weakened immune system can lead to more frequent infections

• Sleep disturbances can result in tiredness and other problems

There may be long-term behavioral changes that contribute to problems and work and a breakdown in relationships. A person may start to consume more alcohol than previously, or to misuse drugs or medications.

Children and teens

In those aged 6 years or under, symptoms may include:

• Bedwetting after learning to use the bathroom

• Inability to speak

• Acting out the event in play

• Being clingy with an adult

Between the ages of 5 and 12 years, the child may not have flashbacks and they may not have difficulty remembering parts of the event. However, they may remember it in a different order, or feel that there was a sign that it was going to happen.

They may also act out the trauma or express it through play, pictures, and stories. They may have nightmares and be irritable. They may find it hard to go to school or spend time with friends or studying.

From the age of 8 years, children generally tend to display similar reactions to adults.

Between the ages of 12 and 18 years, a person may show disruptive or disrespectful, impulsive or aggressive behavior.

They may feel guilty for not acting differently during the event, or they may consider revenge.

Children who have experienced sexual abuse are more likely to:

• Feel fear, sadness, anxiety, and isolation

• Have a low sense of self-worth

• Behave in an aggressive manner

• Display unusual sexual behavior

• Hurt themselves

• Misuse drugs or alcohol

Strategies for Coping with PTSD

There are a number of healthy ways of coping with anxiety. These strategies may help reduce the intensity of anxiety, lessen its frequency, and/or make it more tolerable.

1. Deep Breathing

Natural breathing involves diaphragm, a large muscle in the abdomen. When one breathes in, the belly should expand and while breathing out, the belly should fall.

Over time, people forget how to breathe this way and instead use their chest and shoulders. This causes short and shallow breaths, which can increase stress and anxiety.

Fortunately, it is quite possible to re-learn how to breathe deeply from the diaphragm and help protect oneself from stress.Practice simple deep breathing exercises to improve breathing and combat anxiety.

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Using relaxation exercises can be an effective way to reduce stress and anxiety. Progressive muscle relaxation focuses on alternating between tensing and relaxing different muscle groups throughout the body. This relaxation method is similar to a pendulum. Complete relaxation of muscles can be obtained by first going to the other extreme (that is, by tensing the muscles).

In addition, by tensing the muscles (a common symptom of anxiety) and immediately relaxing them, the symptom of muscle tension may become a signal to relax over time.

3. Mindfulness

Mindfulness is about being in touch with and aware of the present moment. So often in our lives, we are stuck in our heads, caught up in the anxiety and worries of daily life. Mindfulness can help get out of one’s head and in touch with the present moment.

4. Self-Monitoring

Self-monitoring can be a helpful way of getting a handle on anxiety symptoms. We are all creatures of habit. We often go about our day without thinking, being unaware of much that goes on around us.

This may be useful in some situations, but other times, this lack of awareness may make us feel as though our thoughts and emotions are completely unpredictable and unmanageable. We cannot really address uncomfortable symptoms of anxiety without first being aware of what situations bring up these feelings. Self-monitoring is a simple way of increasing this awareness.

5. Social Support

Over and over again, research has found that finding support from others can be a major factor in helping people overcome the negative effects of a traumatic event and PTSD. Having someone one trusts that can be talked to can be very helpful for working through stressful situations or for emotional validation. However, simply having someone available to talk to may not be enough. There are several important pieces to a supportive relationship that may be particularly beneficial in helping someone manage their anxiety, which is why a support group led by a professional may be helpful.

6. Self-Soothing

When a personis experiencing anxiety, it is important to have ways of coping with those feelings. For example, seeking out social support can be an excellent way of improving mood. However, the anxiety associated with symptoms of PTSD can sometimes occur unexpectedly, and social support may not be readily available.

Therefore, it is important to learn coping strategies that can be done on your own. These coping strategies focus on improving the mood and reducing anxiety and are sometimes described as self-soothing or self-care coping strategies.

7. Expressive Writing

Using journaling to cope with and express thoughts and feelings (also called expressive writing) can be a good way of coping with anxiety. Expressive writing has been found to improve physical and psychological health.

In PTSD in particular, expressive writing has been found to have a number of benefits, including improved coping, post-traumatic growth (the ability to find meaning in and have positive life changes following a traumatic event), and reduced PTSD symptoms, tension, and anger.

8. Distraction

Purposeful use of distraction techniques can be of benefit in coping with emotions that are strong and feel uncomfortable, such as anxiety and fear. Distraction is anything done to temporarily divert attention from a strong emotion.

Sometimes, focusing on a strong emotion can make it feel even stronger and more out of control. Therefore, by temporarily distracting yourself, you may give the emotion time to decrease in intensity, which makes it easier to manage.

Reference : https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156285

https://www.verywellmind.com/ways-of-coping-with-anxiety-2797619