Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, better known as PTSD, is a
psychiatric condition that occurs in people who have been exposed to traumatic
events. People who have experienced the horrors of war and combat can develop
PTSD, but it can also occur in victims of sexual assault, victims of child or
domestic abuse, and other traumatic events. There are three main categories of
PTSD symptoms:
·
Re-experiencing symptoms
·
Avoidance and numbing symptoms
·
Hyperarousal symptoms
To qualify for a diagnosis of PTSD, a person must experience
one or more re-experiencing symptoms, at least three avoidance and numbness
symptoms, and at least two hyperarousal symptoms for at least one month.
“Re-Experiencing
Symptoms” in PTSD
Re-experiencing symptoms in PTSD involve reliving the
traumatic event. These symptoms may include:
·
Flashbacks or extremely vivid and intrusive
memories
·
Recurring distressing dreams
·
Intense negative reactions to things that remind
the person of the traumatic event
These symptoms can strike seemingly without warning in
response to a trigger that reminds the person of the event. The memories may be
so vivid that the person feels like they are literally experiencing the event
again, along with all the feelings of fear and helplessness.
Avoidance
and Numbing Symptoms in PTSD
The second set of PTSD symptoms involves avoidance of things
that remind the person of the traumatic experience, and emotional numbing as a
reaction to overpowering fear and helplessness.
·
Avoidance of stimuli that remind the person of
the trauma, including certain conversation topics or things that remind the
person of the event.
·
Avoidance of behaviors, places, or people that
might cause an intrusive memory of the event
·
Inability to recall major parts of the trauma
·
Loss of capacity to feel certain emotions;
feeling “emotionally numb”
Hyperarousal
Symptoms in PTSD
An individual with PTSD may often be in a state of hyperarousal
or hypervigilance. This set of PTSD symptoms includes:
·
Difficulty sleeping
·
Angry outbursts
·
Being tense or “on-edge” much of the time
·
Easily startled
Are PTSD
Symptoms Different in Children than In Adults?
In children younger than age six, there are some behavioral
markers that can result from PTSD that are not found in adults. This includes
some regression:
·
Bedwetting or soiling themselves, when they had been
previously potty-trained
·
Forgetting how to talk, or being unable to talk
·
Acting out the traumatic event in play
·
Unusally clingy with a trusted adult
The symptoms of PTSD cause marked psychological distress and
interfere significantly with the person’s quality of life. There are treatments
for PTSD, including talk therapy, medications, or a combination of the two.
Talk therapies can help the person identify and deal with the guilt, shame,
fear, and other feelings that are a result from the traumatic event. A
qualified therapist can help them face the bad memories and make sense of what
happened and how they feel about it. Along with psychotherapy, medications like
Zoloft or Paxil are sometimes used to treat chemical imbalances in the brain
that are associated with PTSD symptoms.
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