PTSD Symptoms & Treatment
Overview
There are events that happen to us, as children or adults, that are so overwhelming
and so inherently frightening that they can temporarily, and sometimes permanently,
change our
physical and psychological responses to stress. In general,
post-traumatic stress disorder
is an illness that develops in the wake of someone living through a terrible even or terrifying experience. The body's normal
psychological defenses against stress are overwhelmed by
the past events. After the trauma, there is abnormal functioning of the normal defense
systems, which is what causes certain symptoms.
Symptoms are Produced in Three Different Ways
• Re-experiencing the trauma
• Persistent avoidance
• Increased arousal
Re-experiencing the Trauma
• You may relive the experience as terrible dreams or nightmares or as daytime
flashbacks of the event.
• External cues in the environment may remind you of the event.
• The psychological distress of the trauma is reactivated (brought back)
by
internal thoughts, memories, and even fantasies.
• You may experience physical reactions to stress, such as sweating and
a rapid heart rate.
• Posttraumatic symptoms can be identical to those symptoms experienced when
the actual trauma was occurring.
Persistent Avoidance
• You may avoid trauma-related thoughts or feelings and
activities or situations that may trigger memories of the trauma.
• May develop a diminished interest in activities that used to give pleasure
• Detachment from other people
• Restricted range of feelings
• Sad affect that leads to the view that the future will be grim.
Increased Arousal
• Fight or flight feelings
• Sleep disturbances
• Irritability
• Outbursts of anger
• Difficulty concentrating
• Increased vigilance
• Exaggerated startle response when shocked.
What Are the Treatment Options
Cognitive therapy involves separating the intrusive thoughts from the associated anxiety. Additionally, it involves changing the sequence of thought patterns that
occur whenever
the resident is exposed to the traumatic stimuli. Cognitive therapy
seriously diminishes
the power of the traumatic reminders.
Stress inoculation training is a therapy that includes relaxation. It also involves carefully
monitoring the resident's thoughts associated with the traumatic event.
When thoughts
of the trauma do occur, the resident uses a script that was created in therapy.
This will
begin to change their thoughts that come from thinking about the trauma. Residents may
even need to imagine themselves as someone else, also known as role playing, to bring
about
this change in their thought pattern. Through this practice, the role-playing gradually
becomes the reality.
Visualization techniques and confidence builders, such as positive self-talk and social
skills training, are other treatment options. In visualization techniques, residents train
themselves to recall and visualize a particularly peaceful or pleasant place or situation,
whenever thoughts of the trauma arise.
Peer group support is also. Many times trauma victims disconnect from their feelings,
as it sometimes feel like the only relief they can get from the pain. Residents learn,
from one another, to reconnect with their feelings, decrease isolation,
learn new
coping strategies, and provide support for each other.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are common among those
who have experienced trauma.
There are five types of anxiety disorders.
These include:
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Social Phobia/ Social Anxiety Disorder