Nowadays we often hear of people suffering from PTSD, but do we know what it really is?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often confused with common stress. That’s why it’s important to say that only people who took part or were witnesses of a life-threatening experience, can suffer from this disorder. If one is stressed due to an important presentation or upcoming deadlines it is not the same as PTSD. When it comes to age, it doesn’t matter. A person can be either 12 or 57 and suffer from this disorder. Possible causes could be: sexual assault, serious accident, domestic abuse, death of a close one or experiencing war.
Just like depression or bipolar disorder, PTSD is characterized by visible symptoms. Possible symptoms can be insomnia, nightmares relating to the traumatic event, vivid flashbacks or a feeling that the event is happening again. A person suffering from PTSD may also avoid people, places or feelings that they associate with the traumatic event. This can result in isolation from the outside world. People traumatized by a certain event may find themselves unable to enjoy things that they liked before the event.
If there is a person suffering from PTSD in our environment, we want to help but it’s important not to overdo it. PTSD victims are all different and it is important to remember that. Some of them say that no one gets them and so they don’t want to seek help, but the more time they spend in such isolation the more they will feel like there is no hope for them. The best thing we can do is assure them that we are there for them, either to talk to or to hug or comfort in any physical way. If they are reassured that there indeed is someone who they may talk to, they will feel less alone. We have to remember that if someone doesn’t want to talk about their trauma, we cannot force them to do so. Trauma needs time to process and forcing someone to immediately talk about it will do more damage than good.
There are different methods of treating PTSD. One can be treated with therapy, medicine or both. Therapists during sessions will either try to deal with the memories and feelings about the trauma or offer relaxation training to decrease anxiety and fear levels.
Some things should be avoided when it comes to this disorder: immediate debriefing of the event after hours or days of the occurrence, pretending that nothing is wrong, hoping that symptoms will go away by themselves and drug/alcohol use. They can be a very easy escape from the trauma but it will only cause more problems like addiction and health issues.
All in all, it’s important to PTSD victims to know that they are not alone and that there is help for them. We should give them the time they need to process the event. In the meantime, the best thing to do is just be there for them
If you wish to find out more about PTSD here are some websites:
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