Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Since June is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month, I am focusing my blog on just that. PTSD is a serious mental health condition. But it isn’t talked about nearly enough. While it is often assumed that only combat veterans are afflicted with PTSD, they are not the only people affected by this disorder.
We aren’t sure exactly why PTSD happens in some people but not others. After going through a traumatic experience, acute stress reactions are typical, but some people heal and some people develop PTSD. For those that have a reaction lasting more than 3 days but under one month, it is called Acute Stress Disorder. Symptoms beyond one month indicate a diagnosis of PTSD.
Main Symptoms of PTSD:
• Exposure to a traumatic event, either directly, through witnessing an event happen to someone else, learning about an event happening to a close friend or family member, or experiencing repeated exposure to aversive details (first responders, etc.)
• Recurrent, intrusive distressing memories or thoughts about the trauma.
• Nightmares or distressing dreams related to the traumatic event.
• Dissociative reactions (flashbacks) in which you feel like you are reliving the trauma.
• Intense distress when exposed to reminders of the trauma
• Physical reactions to trauma triggers (shortness of breath, racing heart, etc.)
• Sleep disturbances
• Trouble concentrating
• Avoidance of feelings, places, and people related to the trauma.
• Hypervigilance
• Exaggerated startle response
• Trouble remembering parts of the traumatic event
• Negative thoughts and feelings such as fear, anger, guilt, or feeling flat or numb a lot of the time
• Self-blame
• Irritability
• Guilt
• Loss of pleasure in previously enjoyed activities
• Low mood
• Difficulty or inability to feel positive emotions
PTSD symptoms range from person to person, and you do not need to be experiencing all of these symptoms to have PTSD. If you think you might have PTSD, please talk to a licensed mental health professional.
A Brief History of the PTSD Diagnosis
Clearly, traumatic events have occurred since the beginning of time. But sadly, PTSD was not an official diagnosis until 1980! In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) added PTSD to the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). Despite the amount of time it took for the condition to be formally recognized, evidence of the disorder has been seen throughout history. Some names that have appeared are shell shock, combat fatigue, traumatic neurosis, soldier’s heart, and post-Vietnam Syndrome. These symptoms were initially thought to be a personal weakness. You can imagine that this created a lot of stigma and silence around these post-traumatic symptoms. Since PTSD’s first introduction in 1980, understanding and treatment of the disorder have come a long way. Though there is still much stigma surrounding PTSD, people are talking about it more and more and there are now evidence-based treatments available.
When you have PTSD, it can often feel like you will never get better, but it is very treatable. Generally, traditional talk therapy is not as effective for PTSD as it is for other disorders like anxiety or depression. There are several treatments recognized as effective for the treatment of PTSD such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).
I typically use EMDR to treat trauma and PTSD. EMDR starts with a thorough assessment and building of coping and affect management skills before processing any trauma. The purpose of EMDR is to reactivate trauma memories that get stored in the brain and process them using bilateral stimulation, most often eye movements, until you no longer experience distress. EMDR also examines the negative beliefs that were created as a result of the traumatic memory and can help you change these cognitions to something more realistic or positive. The length of time this takes varies greatly depending on the person and how many traumas they have experienced. I have seen many of my clients experience symptom relief after treatment using EMDR. If EMDR does not sound right for you, there are other treatments available that are also backed by research.
Please reach out to a mental health professional for help if you think you have PTSD. You do not have to fight this battle alone and a therapist can help you determine the type of treatment that would be right for you.
