Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is post traumatic stress disorder? Post traumatic stress disorder is also called PTSD. This condition occurs after suffering or facing a traumatic (hurtful) event that brings you much pain or sorrow. The event may make you think you will get hurt or die. You may continue to feel helpless after the event. These experiences are often repeated or re-lived, affecting your daily activities, work, and relationships. Treatment is needed to prevent symptoms from getting worse.

What causes PTSD? PTSD is caused by a traumatic situation or event that you have experienced. Examples include any of the following:

• An accident.
  
  
• A crime done to you or a crime you may have seen, such as a murder, robbery, or shooting.
  
  
• A death of a loved one.
  
  
• A natural disaster, such as a flood, earthquake, hurricane, or tornado.
  
  
• A serious disease, such as cancer.
  
  
• Physical or sexual abuse.
  
  
• Violence.
  
  
• War or terrorism.

What are the signs and symptoms of PTSD? Signs and symptoms of PTSD may be divided into three groups:

• Re-living or re-experiencing the event: This may be in the form of:
  
  
  • Nightmares (bad dreams).
    
    
  • Flashbacks (recalling the past).
    
    
  • Images that pop into your head.
    
    
  • Goosebumps, chills, or a pounding, fast heartbeat when reminded of the event.
  
  
• Avoidance:
  
  
  • You may avoid thoughts, feelings, or talking about the traumatic event.
    
    
  • You may avoid activities, places, or people that remind you of the traumatic event.
    
    
  • You may have trouble spending time with friends and family or lose interest in doing enjoyable things.
    
    
  • You may have little or no emotion or be unable to express your feelings.
  
  
• Increased arousal (over reaction) or mood swings:
  
  
  • You may easily get stressed or hurt emotionally.
    
    
  • You may have sudden feelings of sadness, fear, or anger.
    
    
  • You may feel nervous, jumpy, panicky, or irritable.
    
    
  • You may have trouble paying attention or getting things done.
    
    
  • You may have sleeping problems.

How is PTSD diagnosed? Caregivers use a guide to diagnose PTSD. You have PTSD if you have all of the following:

• You have seen, faced, or experienced an event that involved serious injury, near death, or death.
  
  
• Your response was great fear, helplessness, or horror.
  
  
• You have constant symptoms of re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidant behavior, and increased arousal.
  
  
• Symptoms last more than one month.
  
  
• Symptoms cause distress and affect your daily activities, work, and relationships.

How is PTSD treated? A combination of medication and behavior therapy can successfully help you achieve control of your anxieties. You may have any of the following:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy: With a therapist, you will learn to face the feared object or situation slowly and carefully. You will also learn to control the mental and physical reactions of fear.
  
  
  • Assertiveness training: This training teaches you to stand up for yourself. You will learn how to ask for what you need, how to set limits, and how to say no.
    
    
  • Cognitive restructuring: Caregivers help you learn which thoughts produce anxiety. These thoughts are replaced with more pleasant ones.
    
    
  • Exposure therapy: Exposure or desensitization therapy helps you face a feared object, person, or situation. Fantasy (not real) or real-life situations are used with this therapy. The goal of desensitization therapy is to help decrease your fear or anxiety.
    
    
  • Relaxation therapy: Relaxation therapy teaches you how to calm your body and mind. The goal is to feel less physical (body) stress and have less emotional (mind) stress.
  
  
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: This is also called EMDR and is a type of exposure therapy. Caregivers help you make your eyes move back and forth while you re-imagine the trauma.
  
  
• Psychological debriefing: This is often a single meeting with a therapist to have crisis counseling. You may have this right after a traumatic event to prevent or decrease further emotional problems.
  
  
• Medicine:
  
  
  • Anti-depressants: These medicines are given to decrease or stop the symptoms of depression.
    
    
  • Sedative: A sedative medicine may be given to help you stay calm and relaxed.
    
    
  • Tranquilizers: These are also called sedatives and may be given to help you stay calm and relaxed.

Where can I find support and more information? Having PTSD is a life-changing condition for you and your family. Accepting that you have PTSD may be hard. You and those close to you may feel angry, sad, or frightened. These feelings are normal. Talk to your caregiver, family, and friends about your feelings. You may also want to join a support group. This is a group of people who also have PTSD. Contact the following for more information:

• National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  Phone: 1-802-2966300
  Web Address: http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/
  

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Public Information & Communication Branch
  6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663
  Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
  Phone: 1-301-443-4513
  Phone: 1-866-615-6464
  Web Address: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
  

• Victim Assistance Online
  Walker Plaza, P.O. Box 24077
  Windsor, Ontario N8Y-4Y9
  Web Address: http://www.vaonline.org
  

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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