Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disease brought on by experiencing or watching a horrific event. A few possible symptoms might include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the incident.
Causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Any major event can cause PTSD. A few of the examples include the following:
- Natural catastrophes
- Sexual assault
- Major mishaps
- Attacks by terrorists
- Loss of a family member, whether or not there was violence involved
- Personal assault being a crime victim being given a fatal diagnosis
However, besides these examples, these can include any other events that can potentially create horror within an individual.
Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The potential symptoms of PTSD are as follows:
- Intrusive memories or flashbacks of traumatic events
- Nightmares and fearful dreams
- Emotional imbalance or feeling of guilt
- Avoiding gatherings
- Avoiding talking about traumatic incidents
- Hopelessness
- Lack of interest in daily work or activities that you once enjoyed
- Memory issues
- Getting frightened easily
- Suicidal tendencies
- Unable to maintain close relationships
Ways to Manage and Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Similar to other mental disorders, psychotherapy and medications might be helpful for it.
- Medications: For treatment, antidepressants are most used. It may help manage PTSD symptoms like depression, anxiety, rage, and a numb feeling inside. However, doctors may prescribe other drugs for specific PTSD symptoms like nightmares and sleep issues.
- Psychotherapy: People with PTSD can benefit from various psychotherapies, and some specifically target PTSD symptoms. Other treatments concentrate on issues with the family, the workplace, or society. However, depending on the needs of each patient, the doctor or therapist may mix various therapies.
In this regard, CBT is most used, including:
- Exposure Therapy: This enables people to confront and manage their anxiety. Safely, it progressively exposes them to the trauma they underwent and assists them in dealing with it. It uses visualisation, writing, or travel to the scene of the incident.
- Cognitive Restructuring: This aids in making sense of unpleasant recollections. People occasionally recall events differently from how they occurred. Hence, they might experience shame or remorse about something that wasn't their fault.
Lastly, it should be remembered that similar to other medical conditions, anxiety disorders also need to be treated. Moreover, it has nothing to do with attitude or self-control. In the past few decades, research has advanced significantly in addressing mental health issues in the past few decades. Also, treatment procedures for different types of anxiety disorders will differ; hence, you should consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis.