Published - Mon, 30 May 2022

What is POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER ?

What is POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER ?

Most people who experience traumatic events have temporary difficulties adjusting and coping, but they usually get better with time and good self-care. You may have PTSD if your symptoms worsen, last for months or even years, and interfere with your day-to- day functioning. Symptoms can appear as soon as days after a traumatic event, but they can also take years to manifest. It's difficult to live with, and it can have a significant impact on relationships and family life. You might be hurt by your loved one's distance and moodiness, or you might be perplexed by their actions.

 

What are the main symptoms of PTSD?

 

Symptoms of PTSD can come and go. Flashbacks as if you are reliving the event, repeated memories, nightmares, and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event, are all possible symptoms. People with PTSD may show irritable, aggressive behavior, have trouble sleeping, and have difficulty concentrating. Mood changes such as feeling shame or guilt, push one into loneliness, and social isolation and they usually have self-destructive behavior.

 

It's a psychiatric disorder that can strike people who have been threatened with death, sexual violence, or serious injury, or who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a severe accident, a terrorist act, battle, or rape are all examples of such events.

 

What are the triggers of PTSD?

 

PTSD can be brought on by several things. They bring back strong memories. You may feel like you're going through it all over again. Triggers can be anything that reminds you of the traumatic event in some way, such as sights, sounds, smells, or thoughts. If you think you might hurt yourself or attempt suicide, or if you know someone who is in danger of attempting suicide or has already attempted suicide (make sure someone stays with that person to keep him or her safe), call take the person to the nearest hospital emergency room if you can safely do so.

 

Management of PTSD

Your loved one's nervous system can become "unstuck" with the right support from you and other family and friends, and you can help them finally move on from the traumatic event, allowing your life together to return to normal. It's important to remember that not everyone who has been through a traumatic event develops PTSD, and not everyone with PTSD requires psychiatric treatment. PTSD symptoms may fade or disappear for some people over time. Others improve as a result of their support system (family, friends or clergy). However, many people with PTSD require professional help to recover from severe and disabling psychological distress.

 

It's important to remember that trauma can cause a lot of pain. The individual is not to blame for their distress, and PTSD is treatable. The sooner someone seeks help, the more likely they are to recover. Psychotherapy along with medication may help the person with PTSD get better.

 

Medication can aid in the management of PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, the symptom relief that medication provides allows many people to participate in psychotherapy more effectively. Complementary and alternative therapies, as well as other treatments, are increasingly being used to help people with PTSD. Acupuncture and animal-assisted therapy are two examples.

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Dr. Prashant Raj

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