What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

What is post-traumatic stress disorder? Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect anybody that has gone through or witnessed a traumatic event. Here are some causes, symptoms, and treatments for post-traumatic stress disorders.

Military veterans can suffer from post-traumatic stress. If a veteran from World War 1 suffered from the disorder it used to be called "shell shock." As time went on the name of the disorder was changed to "battle fatigue." Later on it was called "operational exhaustion" and then it was finally changed to post-traumatic stress disorder. While the name has been changed numerous times the disorder has not changed.

Causes

Obviously someone that is part of the military is at high risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Being in the middle of the war can be a very traumatic situation. Military personnel are not the only people that suffer from the disorder though. Another common cause of the disorder is rape. Any person that has an extremely traumatic event happen may suffer from this disorder.

Symptoms

If the person has frequent memories of the event they will relive the trauma by having nightmares and disturbing memories during the day. Something that could trigger it is seeing a reminder of the event, anniversaries, or even ordinary events. The person could lose touch with reality if a flashback is triggered. Someone suffering from a flashback generally believes that the event is occurring again.

Extreme depression is another symptom. The depression could drive the person to the verge of suicide. Depression in any form is something that should be taken seriously. If the person is extremely depressed then seek help immediately.

Sleep disturbances are another sign of the disorder. The person sleep pattern could change drastically from being sleepy constantly or even suffering from insomnia. Nightmares of the event might also occur.

Other symptoms include: extremely sensitive to noise, fear of others, paranoia, emotionally numb, severe mood swings, marital problems, drug and alcohol abuse, headaches, chest pain, restlessness, aggressiveness, dizziness, or discomfort in other parts of the body.

Treatments

Some treatment options for post-traumatic stress disorder are: medications, cognitive-behavioral therapy, group psychotherapy, and exposure therapy.

Medications can relieve anxiety problems. Cognitive-behavioral therapy lets the person learn how to react differently to situations and body sensations that make the anxiety occur. Group psychotherapy allows people to share similar experiences with a trained professional so they have other people to relate to. Exposure therapy is when the person relives the trauma so that they will have an easier time coping with it.

So those are some causes, symptoms, and treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder. If you have recently gone threw a traumatic event and should any symptoms of the disorder you should seek help. If someone that you know shows these symptoms then seek help for them.