|
PTSD: The Basics
Affiliated
COUNSELING AND REFERRAL SERVICES (ACRS)
DR. Michael
Shery, clinical psychology
2615
Three Oaks Rd, Ste 2A, Cary, IL 60013
|
“Since
1976, state-of-the-art counseling which treats the problem, not just the
symptom...”
|
__________________________________________________
Doctoral degree: University of Southern
California, 1975
______________________________________________________
|
Referrals accepted from Alexian Brothers, Good
Shepherd, Centegra, Loyola, Northwestern University, University of Chicago and the Mayo
Clinic hospitals and physicians.
|
____________________________________________________
Counseling, Therapy
and
Expert Evaluations for:
Anxiety - Depression -Marriage
-Adolescent-
- ADHD - Alcohol -Substance Abuse -Anger - Fitness for Duty - Disability -Adoption - Weight
Loss Surgery
________________________________________________________________________
Questions? Call Dr Mike NOW:
847 275 8236 (24 Hrs)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
by: Arthur
Buchanan
"I was raped when I was 25 years old. For a long time, I spoke about the rape as
though it was something that happened to someone else. I was very aware that it had happened to me, but there was
just no feeling.
"Then I started having flashbacks. They kind of came over me like a splash of
water. I would be terrified. Suddenly I was reliving the rape. Every instant was startling. I wasn't aware of
anything around me, I was in a bubble, just kind of floating. And it was scary. Having a flashback can wring you
out.
"The rape happened the week before Thanksgiving, and I can't believe the anxiety
and fear I feel every year around the anniversary date. It's as though I've seen a werewolf. I can't relax, can't
sleep, don't want to be with anyone. I wonder whether I'll ever be free of this terrible problem."
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that can develop
following a terrifying event. Often, people with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their
ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to. PTSD was first brought to public
attention by war veterans, but it can result from any number of traumatic incidents. These include violent attacks
such as mugging, rape, or torture; being kidnapped or held captive; child abuse; serious accidents such as car or
train wrecks; and natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. The event that triggers PTSD may be something
that threatened the person's life or the life of someone close to him or her. Or it could be something witnessed,
such as massive death and destruction after a building is bombed or a plane crashes.
Whatever the source of the problem, some people with PTSD repeatedly relive the
trauma in the form of nightmares and disturbing recollections during the day. They may also experience other sleep
problems, feel detached or numb, or be easily startled. They may lose interest in things they used to enjoy and
have trouble feeling affectionate. They may feel irritable, more aggressive than before, or even violent. Things
that remind them of the trauma may be very distressing, which could lead them to avoid certain places or situations
that bring back those memories. Anniversaries of the traumatic event are often very difficult.
PTSD affects about 5.2 million adult Americans. 1 Women are more likely than men to
develop PTSD. 7 It can occur at any age, including childhood, 8 and there is some evidence that susceptibility to
PTSD may run in families. 9 The disorder is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or one or more other
anxiety disorders. 4 In severe cases, the person may have trouble working or socializing. In general, the symptoms
seem to be worse if the event that triggered them was deliberately initiated by a person—such as a rape or
kidnapping.
Ordinary events can serve as reminders of the trauma and trigger flashbacks or
intrusive images. A person having a flashback, which can come in the form of images, sounds, smells, or feelings,
may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic event is happening all over again.
Not every traumatized person gets full-blown PTSD, or experiences PTSD at all. PTSD
is diagnosed only if the symptoms last more than a month. In those who do develop PTSD, symptoms usually begin
within 3 months of the trauma, and the course of the illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, others
have symptoms that last much longer. In some cases, the condition may be chronic. Occasionally, the illness doesn't
show up until years after the traumatic event.
People with PTSD can be helped by medications and carefully targeted
psychotherapy.
Ordinary events can serve as reminders of the trauma and trigger flashbacks or
intrusive images. Anniversaries of the traumatic event are often very difficult.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur
following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters,
terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape. People who suffer from PTSD often
relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged,
and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person's daily
life.
PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. PTSD
is complicated by the fact that it frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression,
substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder
is also associated with impairment of the person's ability to function in social or family life, including
occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and difficulties in parenting.
Understanding PTSD
PTSD is not a new disorder. There are written accounts of similar symptoms that go
back to ancient times, and there is clear documentation in the historical medical literature starting with the
Civil War, when a PTSD-like disorder was known as "Da Costa's Syndrome." There are particularly good descriptions
of posttraumatic stress symptoms in the medical literature on combat veterans of World War II and on Holocaust
survivors.
Careful research and documentation of PTSD began in earnest after the Vietnam War.
The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study estimated in 1988 that the prevalence of PTSD in that group was
15.2% at that time and that 30% had experienced the disorder at some point since returning from Vietnam.
PTSD has subsequently been observed in all veteran populations that have been
studied, including World War II, Korean conflict, and Persian Gulf populations, and in United Nations peacekeeping
forces deployed to other war zones around the world. There are remarkably similar findings of PTSD in military
veterans in other countries. For example, Australian Vietnam veterans experience many of the same symptoms that
American Vietnam veterans experience.
PTSD is not only a problem for veterans, however. Although there are unique
cultural- and gender-based aspects of the disorder, it occurs in men and women, adults and children, Western and
non-Western cultural groups, and all socioeconomic strata. A national study of American civilians conducted in 1995
estimated that the lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 5% in men and 10% in women.
How does PTSD develop?
Most people who are exposed to a traumatic, stressful event experience some of the
symptoms of PTSD in the days and weeks following exposure. Available data suggest that about 8% of men and 20% of
women go on to develop PTSD, and roughly 30% of these individuals develop a chronic form that persists throughout
their lifetimes.
The course of chronic PTSD usually involves periods of symptom increase followed by
remission or decrease, although some individuals may experience symptoms that are unremitting and severe. Some
older veterans, who report a lifetime of only mild symptoms, experience significant increases in symptoms following
retirement, severe medical illness in themselves or their spouses, or reminders of their military service (such as
reunions or media broadcasts of the anniversaries of war events).
|