Have you ever experience any traumatic event in your life, If yes, do you relive that event again and again and it makes you disturb in your daily activity. Do you want to avoid those traumatic memories which bother you to live your regular life? If yes, It can be a mental health condition which is known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

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Understand Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is a mental health condition which usually triggered by a terrifying event either witnessing it or experiencing it. The common symptoms can include flashbacks, severe anxiety, and nightmares, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Most people who passed through such traumatic events may have temporary difficulty in adjusting and coping, but by the time and good self-care, they generally get better. If over the time symptoms get worse and last for months or even years and interfere with your day-to-day activity then you may have PTSD.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms:

PTSD symptoms can start within one month of a traumatic event, but sometimes symptoms cannot appear until many years after the event. These symptoms can lead to significant problems in work situations or social relationships. The symptoms can also interfere with the ability to go about your normal daily tasks.

The symptoms of PTSD are usually grouped into four categories and can vary over time or vary from person to person

• Intrusive memories

• Avoidance

• Negative changes in thinking and mood

• Changes in physical and emotional reactions

Symptoms of Intrusive Memories

The common symptoms of intrusive memories can include:

• Repeated and unwanted distressing memories of the traumatic event

• Feeling that the traumatic event occurs again and again (flashbacks)

• Nightmares about the traumatic event

• Physical reactions or severe emotional distress to things that remind you of the traumatic event

Symptoms of Avoidance

The common symptoms of avoidance can include:

• Trying to avoid talking or thinking about that particular traumatic event

• Avoiding activities, places or people which remind you of the event

• Negative changes in mood and thinking

Symptoms of Negative Changes in Thinking and Mood

The Common symptoms of negative changes in thinking and moods are:

• Negative feelings and thoughts about yourself and the other people around

• Hopelessness about the things and future

• Memory problems which include not remembering important aspects of the traumatic event

• Difficulty in maintaining close relations

• Feeling detached from friends and family

• Lack of interest in regular activities which you enjoyed

• Difficulty in feeling the positive emotions

• Feeling emotionally numb

• Changes in emotional and physical reactions

Symptoms of Changes in Physical and Emotional reactions:

• Being easily frightened or startled

• Self-destructive behavior, like drinking too much or driving too fast

• Trouble while sleeping

• Trouble in concentrating

• Irritability, aggressive behavior or angry outbursts

• An overwhelming feeling of guilt or shame

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Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:

Well, everyone who experiences trauma is not Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and not everyone who develops it either requires psychiatric treatment. Sometimes, the symptoms of PTSD subside or disappear by their own over time. Sometimes, others get better with the help of, friends or family. But some of the people with PTSD condition need professional treatment to recover from distress that can be intense and disabling.

Mental health professionals and psychiatrists use various effective ways to help people recover from the condition. Both medication and talk therapy (psychotherapy) provide effective evidence-based treatments for PTSD.

Risk factors of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

People of any ages can have post-traumatic stress disorder. Well, various factors can make you more likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic event, such as:

• Experiencing long-lasting or intense trauma

• Having experienced other trauma earlier in life, like childhood abuse

• A job can increase your risk of being exposed to traumatic events.

• Other related mental health problems, like anxiety or depression

• Problems with substance misuse, like excessive drinking or drug use

• Lacking a good support system of family and friends

• Having blood relatives with any mental health problems, also including anxiety or depression

Conclusion:

All mental health conditions are not a mental disease which can not be treated. If we are dealing with any psychological problem we should not ignore it and should talk about it with friends and family. In this blog, we discussed post-traumatic stress disorder and if you feel any of the symptoms then consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible. It will help you to cope up with it.

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