What is PTSD?
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem that can occur after someone goes through a traumatic event like combat theater (war), assaults/abuse (sexual, physical), or natural disaster. Most people have some stress reactions after a trauma. If the reactions disrupt your life and don’t go away over time, you may have PTSD.
There are four main types of PTSD symptoms:
- Reliving the event
- Avoiding reminders of the event
- Negative changes in beliefs and feelings
- Feeling keyed up
According to national center for PTSD, about 8 out of every 100 people (or 8% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
Going through a trauma does not mean you’ll get PTSD. Even though over half of us go through some type of trauma, a much smaller percent develop PTSD.
A closer look at symptoms of PTSD.
1.Reliving the event
Reoccurring thoughts about the trauma can come back and any time. They can feel very real and scary as the actual event is happening again. This is called a flashback. You may also have nightmares about the event and wake up in panic. These memories can be triggered by news, smells, certain people, sudden laud noises, or your thoughts and emotions.
2. Avoiding things that remind you of the event.
You may avoid certain people or situations that remind you of the event. For example someone who was assaulted on the bus, might avoid public transportation, or a combat veteran may avoid crowded places because it feels dangerous to be around so many people. You may also try to stay busy all the time so you don’t have to think or talk about the event. Alcohol and drug use is a form of avoidance and control with attempts on numbing oneself and getting some temporary relief, but the symptoms get worst over time and have long term consequences in quality of relationships, leading to isolation social anxiety, and depression.
3. More Negative thoughts and emotions than before.
You might feel sad or numb aka. (no emotions), and lose interest in things you once enjoyed. You may feel the world is dangerous, and you can’t trust anyone. It may be hard to feel or express happiness or other positive emotions joy, peace, relaxation etc.
4. Feeling on Edge
It’s common to feel jittery and it’s hard to relax. This is called hyper arousal. You might have problem sleeping and concentrating, or are on lookout for danger. You might suddenly get angry and irritable, and if some surprises you, you might startle easily and feel anxious/irritable for a longer time than normal.
How do I know if I have PTSD?
The only way to know for sure is to talk to a mental health provider that specializes in trauma work and PTSD and complete a comprehensive evaluation. You will be asked about trauma, your current symptoms, and any other problems you have. If you think you might have PTSD, answer the questions in the screening tool here.
What other problems do people with PTSD have?
Many people who have PTSD also have another mental health condition — like depression, social isolation, anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse, or thinking about harming themselves or others. It’s also common to have problems at work, in relationships, or with your physical health.
Sometimes, these problems happen because of your PTSD symptoms. For example, feeling numb and avoiding places can make it hard to have good relationships with your friends and family. Getting treatment for PTSD can help with these other problems, too.
How is PTSD treated?
There is no single treatment that will work for every person with PTSD. But in general, people who receive an evidence-based treatment (a treatment proven to work in multiple research studies) for PTSD show a noticeable improvement in their symptoms, and many no longer have PTSD.
Trauma-focused psychotherapies are the most highly recommended treatment for PTSD. “Trauma-focused” means that the treatment focuses on the memory of the traumatic event or its meaning. You’ll meet with a therapist once per week for 50 to 75 minutes. You and your therapist will have specific goals and topics to cover during each session. Treatment usually lasts for 3 to 4 months but can be longer depending on individual and their unique condition.
PTSD therapy helps change your relationship with trauma so you will be able to accept what has happened and learn tools and strategies to deal with it in a healthy and productive way. The treatment will NOT erase the memory of trauma and attempts to get rid of trauma will only lead to more anger, irritability, frustration and isolation. Therefore a mindfulness and acceptance approach is initially utilized before trauma processing work can take place.
PTSD Treatment Types/Therapy Approaches.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) People with PTSD often try to avoid things that remind them of the trauma. This can help you feel better in the moment, but in the long term it can keep you from recovering from PTSD.
In PE, you expose yourself to the thoughts, feelings, and situations that you’ve been avoiding. It sounds scary, but facing things you’re afraid of in a safe way can help you learn that you don’t need to avoid reminders of the trauma.
What happens during PE? Your therapist will ask you to talk about your trauma. This will help you get more control of your thoughts and feelings about the trauma so you don’t need to be afraid of your memories.
Therapist will also help you get started doing the things you’ve been avoiding. For example, let’s say you avoid driving because it reminds you of an accident. At first, you might just sit in the car and practice staying calm with breathing exercises. Gradually, you’ll work towards driving without being upset by memories of your trauma.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT ) After a trauma, it’s common to have negative thoughts — like thinking what happened is your fault or that the world is very dangerous. CPT helps you learn to identify and change these thoughts. Changing how you think about the trauma can help change how you feel.
What happens during CPT? You’ll talk with your therapist identify negative thoughts and beliefs that are upsetting you. Then your therapist will help you challenge those thoughts and think about your trauma in a way that’s less upsetting.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
People with PTSD react negatively to the memory of their traumas. EMDR can help you process these upsetting memories, thoughts, and feelings. You’ll focus on specific sounds or movements while you talk about the trauma. This helps your brain work through the traumatic memories. Over time, you can change how you react to memories of your trauma.
What happens during EMDR? Your therapist will ask you to choose a memory from the trauma and identify the negative thoughts, emotions, and feelings in your body that go with it.
You’ll think about this memory while you pay attention to a sound (like a beeping tone) or a movement (like your therapist’s finger moving back and forth). Once the memory becomes less upsetting, you’ll work on adding a positive thought.
How can I decide which treatment is right for me? You and your therapist will decide together what treatment approach fits your current need based on you symptoms and treatment goals that most people have when they enter trauma treatment.
Find someone who is a good fit for you.
You and your therapist will work closely together, so it’s important that you feel comfortable asking questions and talking about problems in your life. It’s always okay to look for a different therapist or doctor if you’re not happy with the person you’re seeing. Trauma treatment is difficult so a strong therapeutic relationship between client and therapist is a must.
What if I have PTSD, but do not get treatment?
Sometimes people with PTSD assume their PTSD symptoms will go away with enough time. This might be the case for some people, but not for everyone.
Most people who are going to get better without treatment get better in the first year. So, if you have had your symptoms for more than a year, they are likely to be long-lasting without treatment.