Raising Psychological Insights: Perceiving Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Mental health is vital in every phase in life that we must treasure from the womb to the tomb. It includes our psychological, emotional, and social well-being.  Also, it affects how we feel, think act, and everything that we do in day to day living.

However, no matter how we take good care of our mental health, a crisis is inevitable that could sometimes lead to severe psychological trauma.

What is Post-traumatic stress disorder?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that some people develop after witnessing or experiencing a life-threatening situation, such as a natural disaster, massive accidents, molestation, or sexual assault.

What are the signs and symptoms of PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder usually starts right after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, but the signs may not come out until months or years. If the symptoms last for more than a month and interfere with your activities of daily living, it is possible that you have acquired PTSD.

The symptoms of Post-traumatic stress disorder have four types. They may not be the same for everyone, but the person affected by the illness will experience the symptoms in their way.

Heightened Responses or Hyperarousal

It is a cluster of PTSD that includes difficulty concentrating and sleeping. The feeling of always on alert, easily startled, getting irritable or angry abruptly, or do something extremely unhealthy such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, reckless driving, and doing drugs.

Reliving the experience

You may have terrible experiences like witnessing a crime or a suicide cleanup, and you feel like you are undergoing the happening again which called a flashback.

Refraining from situations that remind you of the experience

A person tries to stay away from individuals or situations that trigger the recollection of the traumatic experience. A person may even refrain from thinking or discussing the traumatic event.

Pessimistic Behavior

The way a person usually thinks and acts may change due to the traumatic experience, such as a feeling of shame or trauma. Also, a person may not be involved in activities he or she used to love. A particular individual thinks that the world is full of danger, cannot trust anyone, and find it hard to experience happiness.

Are there other problems that people with PTSD experience?

The answer is yes. And individuals  who have PTSD may also suffer from:

• Excessive alcohol drinking and drug problems
• Social problems
• A feeling of despair or hopelessness
• Depression

Are there available treatments for PTSD?

There are two major types of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. These treatments are Psychotherapy or counseling and of course medication.

In severe cases, the treatment needs the combination of both psychotherapy and medication.

The use of Psychotherapy

Counseling or psychotherapy involves a session with a legit therapist.

Psychotherapy which focuses on the memory of the traumatic experience

This is the most powerful treatment for Post-traumatic stress disorder, and there are several types of trauma-focused counseling such as:

Cognitive Processing Therapy

This is where a person learns the ability to find out how trauma affects his or her feelings and way of thinking. Changing how we feel about the traumatic experience can help change the way we feel.

Prolonged Exposure

This is where a person discuss the traumatic experience repeatedly until the memories are no longer hurtful. With this therapy, a person will gain more control over his or her thoughts about the experience. Plus, the person can go to places that he or she has been avoiding because it reminds of the traumatic experience.

EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

This institutes on the sound or hand movements while a person talks about the traumatic experience. This therapy assists your brain function through the memories of the trauma.

The medications of choice for PTSD

Likewise, with psychotherapy, the use of medicines is effective as well. Some particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRI and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or SNRI which are commonly used to treat depression also work well for the treatment of PTSD. These medications include Paroxetine, Fluoxetine, Venlafaxine, and Sertraline.

Important Reminder

The use of benzodiazepines and antipsychotic medications must be avoided for the treatment of PTSD because these certain medications do not treat the root symptom of PTSD. Also, these medications need precise dosage because it can be addictive.

Takeaway

In conclusion, mental health is essential for our body’s functions are entirely dependent on it. If our brain is damaged, it could affect our activities of daily living which could be threatening our life. It is always best to provide our life with happiness, positivity, and live it to the fullest as it is the way it should be.