Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can affect people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. It can cause severe anxiety and distress for those who experience it and it is important to understand the symptoms of PTSD so that we can help those affected by it.
What Causes PTSD?
PTSD is usually caused by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as an accident, a natural disaster, physical or sexual assault, war, or serious injury. It can also be caused by life-threatening events such as death of a loved one or prolonged periods of extreme stress. The disorder can develop at any age and affects both men and women. It is estimated that around 8 million adults in the United States are living with PTSD.
Symptoms of PTSD
The symptoms of PTSD fall into several different categories, including physical reactions, intrusive thoughts, avoidance behaviours, and emotional numbing. Each person’s experience with PTSD is unique, so it’s important to pay attention to your own individual symptoms. Some people can be in denial about their PTSD which is understandable, it might be hard to face, and the constant dodging in your mind can become too much. This is why it is essential that you take a moment, sit down, and ask yourself – are you suffering from PTSD?
Physical Reactions
People with PTSD may experience physical reactions such as difficulty sleeping or concentrating, an increase in heart rate or respiration when exposed to triggers related to their trauma, and even feeling like they are in danger even when they are not. They may also experience nightmares about their traumatic event(s) or flashbacks as if they were reliving it again.
Intrusive Thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are persistent thoughts that are difficult to shake from your mind. It could be anything from being preoccupied with the traumatic event itself to being overwhelmed by guilt and shame over something that occurred during the trauma. People with PTSD may also have difficulty forming new memories due to their intrusive thoughts.
Avoidance Behaviors
Avoidance behaviors are another common symptom of PTSD in which people try to avoid triggers associated with their trauma – whether it be people, places, activities, or objects – in order to reduce the intensity of their symptoms. This can make it difficult for them to go about their daily lives as usual and can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness as well as further depression and anxiety.
Emotional Numbing
Finally, people with PTSD often feel emotionally numb after experiencing trauma due to the overwhelming nature of their emotions at that time. This can lead to difficulty feeling pleasure or joy from activities that used be enjoyable for them such as hobbies or spending time with friends and family members.
Treatment for PTSD
It is important to seek medical help if you think you might be experiencing symptoms of PTSD as treatment options are available to help manage these symptoms. Treatment typically includes talk therapy, medication management, and lifestyle changes such as self-care activities like exercise and relaxation techniques. In some cases, more intensive treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may be recommended to help address certain issues related to trauma processing. For children who experience traumatic disorders, professional trauma treatment for youth may help.
The ketamine therapy is a kind of treatment for PTSD in Scottsdale, AZ.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is another type of therapy that helps people process and heal from their trauma. But what is emdr therapy? EMDR treats mental health conditions that happen because of memories from traumatic events in the past.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that affects people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event. Though its causes vary widely, some common symptoms include intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance behaviors, hyperarousal (being “on edge” all the time), guilt and shame depression suicidal thoughts and feelings of detachment from others. Fortunately there are effective treatments available for those suffering from this disorder including talk therapy medication management lifestyle changes such as self-care activities like exercise and relaxation techniques along with more intensive treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy if needed. If you think you might be suffering from PTSD it’s important to seek medical help right away so you can get the support and care you need to heal emotionally physically spiritually mentally and more.
