Events that are threatening to life produce traumatic stress in the victim. For some people the effects of the stressful event and their reactions will be short, and to other the trauma will continue to disturb them for years.
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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is a new in psychology because the diagnosis of PTSD first appeared in 1980. The currently accepted definition is that PTSD develops in response to events that are threatening to life or bodily integrity, witnessing threatening or deadly events, and hearing of violence to or the unexpected or violent death of close associates.
The examples of highly stressful situations are battle, murder, rape, physical assault, torture, serious accident, and any other life-threatening situation. Although people tend to think that PTSD is connected only with war experiences, every life-threatening situation is a source of PTSD. It is a normal response of the mind and body and can result with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition which in some people results in inability to perform the most basic tasks in everyday life.
It is important to notice that not everyone who experienced traumatic event will develop this disorder. It depends on severity of the event, patient's mental strength, how supportive family is and many other factors.
Symptoms associated with PTSD are reexperiencing the event, avoiding reminders of the trauma, and chronic tension in the autonomic nervous system. PTSD is present when these symptoms last more than one month and the patient experiences the loss of function in job and social life. The patient who suffers from PTSD has symptoms such as fast heart beat, cold sweat, fast breathing, heart palpitations, and hypervigilance. That leads to sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, sexual dysfunction and difficulties in concentrating.
In the worst possible scenario the patient with PTSD, especially if not treated, comes to the conclusion that living is impossible and he makes suicide. Fortunately, such serious conditions can be detected and the doctors can help, even in very seriously ill patients.
PTSD is a very complex disorder so the treatment is complex too. The doctors often combine drugs and the psychological treatment because it is proven that combination gives the best results. A number of medications are useful for treating PTSD, and the most common of these are the antidepressants and mood stabilizers. However, some patients try to find comfort in alcohol and illegal drugs which makes doctor's work much harder and recovery much longer.
The most effective psychological treatment is cognitive behaviour therapy. The doctor will use several strategies and they may vary from patient to patient. Through psycho education the patient becomes aware that his condition is the consequence of the normal body response to the trauma. Emotional support, encouragement to seek support from family by talking about the trauma, and education for the family, those are all very important parts of the healing.
Along with that, anxiety management involves relaxation and breathing retraining, positive self-talk, and assertiveness training. Cognitive therapy identifies anxious thoughts and replacing them with more realistic ones. Exposure to trauma involves confronting feared situations or triggers in a gradual way, until fear is extinguished.
For example, a person who is avoiding driving after being in a very severe car accident is encouraged to drive again, beginning in easier situations and gradually progressing to more difficult situations. Exposure to trauma memories involves confronting trauma memories repeatedly until they are no anger associated with extreme distress. This strategy is combined with anxiety management strategies and cognitive therapy.
People with PTSD unfortunately lived through a life-threatening event. They may suffer for a very long time, they have mental problems that others cannot imagine and they need all the help they can get from their friends and family. ■