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...”
|
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FREE Taped Messages: Call 847 516 0899 (24 Hrs). To hear: How to Select a Counselor-Push 1; Emotional Stress Caused by an Accident or Injury-Press 2
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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).
|