Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Part 1; What is it?

 

What is PTSD?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental condition in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing  or witnessing a terrifying event. This condition can last months to years depending on the severity. The person diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can relive the experience/experiences through flashback or nightmares. An intense emotional and/or physicals response can occur. Outside influences can bring memories of the trauma. They can can feel sadness, fear, and anger. They may become isolated, detached, and estranged from people, places, and things. Without proper diagnosis and treatment, these things can be unbearable, frightening, uncontrollable and misunderstood. I'd like to start with some definitions and then some facts.

Definitions

• Triggers - cause (an event or situation) to happen or exist.
• Trauma - a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.
• Distress -  a state of severe anxiety or strain
• Flashbacks - involuntary recurrent memory, is a psychological phenomenon in which an individual has a sudden, usually powerful, re-experiencing of a past experience or elements of a past experience 
• Stressor - something that causes a state of strain or tension
• Impairment -  disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning

Facts

• 70% of all Adults experience some sort of trauma in their lifetime
• 20% of these adults will develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Average of 8,000,000,000 people actively have PTSD  in any given year
• 1 in 13 adults will develop PTSD at some point in their lifetime
• 3.5% of the United States will develop PTSD
• 36.6% will expierence serious impairment
• 33.1% will experience moderate impairment
• 30.2% will experience mild impairment
• Although rare, children will develop PTSD
• 5% of children will develop PTSD in their childhood
• 1.5% will experience serious impairment
• 3.7% of teens ages 13-14 will develop PTSD
• This number increases by 7% for though ages 17-18
• 1.8% of the Male Population will develop PTSD
• 5.2% of the female population will develop PTSD

If you or a loved one are experiencing thoughts of suicide please call 911 now.

Stages of PTSD

The stages of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can occur immediately following the traumatic event or years down the road. There is no time limit of when this mental condition can start to occur, relapse, or end.

Impact or "Emergency Stage -

This is the reactions and symptoms happening right after the traumatic event occurs

Denial Stage -

In this stage, the symptoms are usually noticeable and occurring frequent enough to put others close to you in the direct line of it. The individual will be in a state of denial and try to continue to push through it. Also, this could be a caregiver/parent in denial of the fact that the person they are guardian of could be experiencing PTSD. It is not abnormal to think that the ones you love most could possibly be in a state of pain or experience traumatic events.

Short Term Recovery -

This is the first step into receiving help. Starting medication management, learning triggers, starting a routine with a therapists, and zeroing in on the needs of the individual experiencing PTSD.

Long Term Treatment -

This stage is maintaining the prescribed medications. Practicing learned coping skills, resilience, and support. There is no way of telling how long treatment will be needed.

If you or a loved one are experiencing thoughts of suicide please call 911 now.

Four Types of PTSD

The four types of PTSD is not necessarily "types" but more of a major category of symptoms. An individual can experience one or all major types.

Intrusive Memories -

Intrusive Memories are memories of an individual the take them through the experience of the traumatic event. The frightening part of this is while experiencing these memories the individual will will not take it as so. They will be experiencing the memories in the present time and not as a past experience. The tend to be less intrusive and happen less over time but not always.

Avoidance- 

Avoidance can occur on an internal or external level. Sometimes the individual will try to avoid the memories (not intrusive) of the trauma. They can also avoid a conversation, or the place of occurrence. They usually avoid any type of reminder of the event in general

Negative Change - 

The negative changes can be in thought and mood. It can be reacting, solving, or communicating in ways that are doing more harm than good. Instead of dealing with the problem for an end solution, they will try a quick fix and deal with it again later.

Physical and Emotional Response - 

A physical or emotional response  will be heightened when triggered. This can be sadness, aggression, and panic. Their mind and body, in a sense, are stuck in a state of hyper arousal. Without a proper diagnosis or treatment this can be dangerous to themselves and others. 

Common Symptoms of PTSD - 

• Intense feeling of distress
• extreme physical reaction such as heart pounding, sweating and nauseea
• Invasive Memories
• Flashbacks
• Nightmares of the event or frightening in general
• Loss of interest in Life
• Feeling emotionalkly numb'
• Negative outlook on their future
• Avoiding certain activities, people, places
• Difficulty remembering pieces of the event

If you or a loved one are experiencing thoughts of suicide please call 911 now.

DSM-V Requirements

The DSM-V PTSD Requirements fall into 5 Clusters. Stressor, Intrusion, Unpleasant Change in Mood and Thought, Avoidance, and Changes in Rationality. 

Stressor: One Required

• Injury or severe illness that is life threatening
• Actual or threatening acts of violence in which the individual is
• directly exposed
• witnessed the event
• or someone close has experienced such as a spouse or children

Intrusion: One required

• Re-experience the trauma in one or more in
• Flashbacks
• Nightmares / Night Terrors
• Intense or distressing memories
• Physical Reactions

Unpleasant Change in Mood or Thought: Two Required

• Self Blame or blame of others
• Decrease interest
• Negative feelings about yourself or the world
• Inability to remember parts of the trauma
• Inability to feel positive
• Feelings of isolation

Avoidance: One Required

• Avoid external reminders such as people, places, and things
• Avoid trauma related thoughts, emotions, and sometimes through use of drugs (including alcohol, alcohol is a drug)

Changes in Rationality: Two Required

• Easily Startled
• React to situations of fear more fully with
• aggression or irritability
• hypervigilance and awareness
• difficulty sleeping
• difficulty concentrating
• heightened startled response
• engaging in destructive or risky behavior
• Must have persisted one month or longer
• must show distress or functional impairment
• Must NOT be related to substance abuse

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a scary thing. It must be diagnosed by a professional. If you or a loved one thinks they PTSD please seek professional help immediately. From personal experience, the longer it goes untreated, the worse the outcome on yourself, and your family will be. Its ok to not be ok. You are not alone. Feel free to reach out to me personally if you would like to talk. The next article will consist of normal medications, treatments, ongoing studies and alternative treatments. let me know what you think in the comments and feel free to have a discussion. Hit that share button and spread the word to educate so people can have an understanding instead of a judgement first.

If you or a loved one are experiencing thoughts of suicide please call 911 now.