Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

It is a serious mental health disorder that develops in some people who experienced or witnessed a scary, shocking or terrifying event. Examples of things that can bring PTSD on include sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, an accident, war or natural disaster. This disorder interferes with functioning and people may experience shock, nervousness, fear and guilt. Acute type of PTSD lasts for less than six months while other people have a chronic type that lasts longer than six months.

What are the symptoms of PTSD:

Reliving the event: through thoughts and memories of the trauma. This can include flashbacks, hallucinations, and nightmares. Reminders of a traumatic event like anniversaries can be especially difficult. Avoiding: The person may avoid people, thoughts, places, and situations. This can make them feel isolated and detached from friends and family and lead to a loss of interest in things the person once enjoyed. Increased arousal: excessive emotions, difficulty staying or falling asleep, outbursts of anger, irritability, being easily startled, and trouble relating to people. The person may also have high blood pressure and heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, and diarrhea. Negative mood and thoughts: this can include blame, depression, and memories of the event.

What are the treatments of PTSD?

Medication and therapy.