Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Two More Symptom Categories of PSTD

The symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are usually separated into four separate groups. These symptoms can include re-living the event or avoiding situations that are similar to the event. However, there are two other symptoms that are part of the disorder that deal more with the physical and emotional aspect of suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.

Here is a closer look at the two other symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. These include the feelings of numbness and the feelings of keyed up energy or emotions.

The first of these two symptoms of the disorder is known as the feeling of numbness. Many people who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder will find it extremely hard to voice their emotions or feelings. When they are asked to talk about the event or situation surrounding the event they will often answer with complete silence. This is believed by medical experts to be a way to avoid the memories completely. Common examples of this category of symptoms includes not being able to recall any of the event, not being able to voice what happened, not showing interest in hobbies or activities, and trying to stray away from any type of relationship or feelings of love and happiness.

The second of these two symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are considered feelings of being keyed or pent up. The medical term for this is known as hyperarousal. Many people who experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder will often start to feel jittery or on constant watch for danger to happen to them. It is almost as if the person is preparing themselves to experience the traumatic event again and this time the event occurs they will be prepared and ready to control the conditions. This type of situation will cause the person to have extreme mood changes, insomnia, lack of concentration, fearing for their or others safety and having extreme reactions when someone startles the person.

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A Look at Two of the Four Common Symptoms of PSTD

The common symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder will vary greatly depending upon the event, the personality of the person who is suffering from the disorder and their age or past experiences. The symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder will usually start to happen within a few days of the traumatic event. However, there have been cases where the person who suffered from PTSD did not suffer from symptoms until months or years later.

The symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder can be broken up into four different categories. Here is a look at the first two of those categories: reliving the event and avoiding situations that might be similar to the event.

One group of symptoms that shows potential signs for posttraumatic stress disorder is the reliving of events. Experts call this the re-experiencing symptoms. When someone suffers from these symptoms that will often have extremely bad memories of the event that happened and will sometimes start to experience the same exact emotions that they had during the event. In many cases the person will feel as if they are going through the whole event again. Medical experts believe that when this happens there was something that could trigger the re-experience of the event. This could come in the form of a similar sound, person or conditions that will look like the traumatic event.

The second group of symptoms are considered avoiding any type of situation that might remind the person who suffers from the disorder of the event. These people will avoid any mention of the situation or similar circumstances at all costs. A common part of this symptom is the beliefs that if the person who suffered the traumatic event keeps very busy they will not have to go through the emotions of the event. In many cases the events and situations that the person avoids are something that they would have normally engaged in before the traumatic situation happened.

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Why Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Happens to Some and Not Others

Many soldiers during the war are exposed to traumatic or serious events throughout their deployment. While all the soldiers are exposed to these conditions not everyone will experience posttraumatic stress disorder. Here is a look at what might cause posttraumatic stress disorder to develop in some people and not in others.

When the body is exposed to an extremely traumatic situation or event it is believed that the event and the emotions that the body goes through will actually alter the brain structure. Many medical professionals believe that some people will experience a change to their brain that is more predominant than others and that could be the result of posttraumatic stress disorder. This is one of the most common beliefs of why posttraumatic stress disorder can happen to some people.

Another belief of why posttraumatic stress disorder happens in some people and not in other is because everyone views a situation differently. It is also believed that even if the same situation happened to everyone they would internalize it differently than others and that could be the source of this disorder. Some of the factors that could play a role in developing posttraumatic stress disorder is how intense the event was, how long it happened for, was someone close lost, how the person reacted directly after the event and whether there were feelings of being in control of not.

It is important to know that there is no exact understanding of why posttraumatic stress disorder happens in some people and not in others. The theory that the brain changes because of the event, or that it is directly related to how the person views the events and situation surrounding it are just theories that are currently being closely looked at by researchers and medical staff. Researchers believe if they can find a cause of posttraumatic stress disorder they can figure out which soldiers to place where during the war and hopefully minimize the impact that this disorder has on the soldier and their support system.

Filed Under: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Tagged With: Anxiety, Mental health, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Psychological trauma

What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

When people think of war and the problems that are caused by it they often think of the economy or the state of the nation. However, very few people think about the effects that the war has on the soldiers that are out there fighting the war. One of the biggest problems facing soldiers is that of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is an anxiety based psychological issue that often happens after experiencing an especially traumatic event. In the case of the war and with soldiers this would be them facing military combat or exposure to that type of situation. The event in most cases put the life of the soldier or those around him in danger. As the situation was one of life or death the soldier acted appropriately and was fearful, scared or anxiety filled. Even though the most common occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder is amongst soldiers there are also cases of the condition arising in those that were in serious accidents, victims of assaults or violence, and even those that experienced extreme natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

In most cases people who face a traumatic event are able to experience daily living as normal people would. However, those that suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder do not. They will often be overwhelmed with feelings of stress, anxiety and depression which are all similar situations that they faced when they were up against the life or death situation.

Over time it is believed that these feelings of stress, anxiety or depression will often lessen because the event that caused it is in the past. However, there are cases where people are unable to lessen these emotions and in some situations the emotions become so strong that they are worse than when the actual situation occurred. In people that experience the emotions worse or the same after the event after a prolonged period of time could be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.

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What Is PTSD?

You may have heard of PTSD before but do you know what it is? PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder is a very serious anxiety disorder. PTSD is caused by experiencing an traumatic event such as abuse, rape, combat, natural disasters, or accidents. Not all people who experience these things will get PTSD. Those who do get PTSD will not always get it right away either. PTSD can sometimes take months or even years to develop after the traumatic event. There is some evidence that PTSD susceptibility may be hereditary.

Symptoms Of PTSD

There are many symptoms that are used to diagnose PTSD. First you must have been exposed to a traumatic event that had a risk of death or severe injury to yourself or someone else that a feeling of helplessness, horror or extreme fear. People with PTSD experience flashbacks, severe negative reactions to reminders of the event, or recurring dreams about the event. These people also will begin to avoid things that remind them of the event such as certain people, places, or even talking about the event. Also people with PTSD may be unable to feel certain emotions, have problems sleeping, or get startled easily. They may also become angry very quickly and very easily. To be diagnosed with PTSD these symptoms must lead to significant impairment of parts or all of their daily life. The symptoms must also last for over 30 days. If Someone has these symptoms for less than 30 days it is then considered Acute stress disorder.

Help For PTSD

There is help for dealing with PTSD. The best place to start is a mental health service near you. Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help to get PTSD under control. There are also medications such as beta blockers, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and anti-psychotics that can help to control symptoms of PTSD.

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How to Help Iraq Veterans Seek Help for PTSD

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The soldiers coming home from the war in Iraq are used to high stress combat situations and of always being on alert to possible dangers. As such, it can take some time to readjust to normal life. However, some soldiers have more difficulties adjusting to the changes in their environment and, as such, begin experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. There are still mixed feeling about the diagnosis of PTSD in the military world and some soldiers are resistant of getting treatment for their symptoms because they fear they will be viewed as being weak. However, receiving treatment is extremely important because the soldier will never be able to completely readjust to civilian without first understanding why they are experiencing the symptoms and how to deal with them.

If you have a family member that is coming home from the war in Iraq, you should monitor them closely for signs of PTSD. If you notice that they are no longer interested in the things they used to or begin talking about suicide, even in a joking manner, you should encourage them to seek assistance for the emotions they are dealing with. You must approach this manner delicately because, again, most soldiers view receiving counseling as a sign of weakness. However, treatment is imperative because you don’t want them to harm themselves or to suffer any longer from the things that they experienced in war.

Soldiers need to understand that PTSD is a natural side effect of being in high stress situations and is not a negative reflection of their strength as a person or as a soldier. By receiving the information they need on this issue and by being given the tools to deal with it, they can successfully readjust to civilian life and begin living the happy life that they deserve for spending time at war.

Filed Under: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Tagged With: Anxiety, Disorders, Health, Iraq, Mental health, Military, Post-traumatic Stress, Posttraumatic stress disorder

Other Common Problems Suffered by Those with PTSD