Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a response to a traumatic event that a person experiences or witnesses. For some people it can be very debilitating.

What causes PTSD?
PTSD is caused by trauma. Trauma is any event or experience outside of a person's ability to cope and can range from sexual abuse to car accidents, natural disasters, war, or workplace accidents. Anyone can potentially experience PTSD.

Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms can vary from person to person. Some people re-experience the event in flashbacks or nightmares. Other people will avoid settings or situations that remind them of the event. Some people withdrawal while others become hyper-aroused - extra sensitive, aware, and alert to danger. In a few cases, a person may experience such severe symptoms he or she becomes catatonic. Children may display repetitive play or experience physical problems like stomachaches or headaches.

Onset of symptoms usually appears first within three months of the event. However, for some the symptoms don't appear for many months or even years.

Treatment Options
Most people find it helpful to understand their reaction to a trauma is normal. The most typical treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy. A person works with a therapist to change his or her thinking and behavior, using techniques such as slowly re-exposing the person to the trigger situation, activity, or memory until it no longer causes anxiety. Medications can help with physical symptoms and anxiety, but he or she must also learn to deal with and understand the traumatic experience.

Another treatment option is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). When a traumatic event is so overwhelming our feelings, thoughts, and sensory perceptions can't fully process it and sometimes a person gets "stuck." Using sets of eye movements while bringing up parts of the trauma and the resulting negative beliefs, the person seems to reprocess the trauma and gain relief. Specially trained therapists perform this technique.

Information source: Pine Rest TODAY Magazine, "Feeling Frayed? How to Handle Stress." Copyright © Fall 1998.