About PTSD
The Good News Is That PTSD Is Treatable. Unfortunately, many Health Care Providers Are Not Always Able To Link The Symptoms With The Diagnosis. By Making People Aware Of PTSD, Including Individuals Whose Loved Ones Have Experienced A Traumatic Situation, Is One Of The Best Ways To Assist In Accurate Diagnosis - Diagnosis That Can Lead To Treatment, And Eventually, Healing, Growth And Recovery.
(PTSD) can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event. PTSD is a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness or horror, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, a divorce, loss of a job, an accident, war, or natural disaster and many more. Families of victims can also develop PTSD, as can military personnel, emergency personnel and rescue workers, first responders, journalists.....to name a few.
“The three requisites of emotional trauma:
1. It is as unexpected as fog on a clear day.
2. It is something you cannot prepare for.
3. It is something that you can do nothing to prevent.”
TRIGGERS
The trauma can be triggered by large-scale ordeals, like terrorism attacks or devastating natural disasters, or highly personal events like a car accident, losing a job or business, divorce, failing to achieve a goal, loss of a loved one, seeing or hearing of a death, personal injury, childhood trauma or any other life-altering experience.
SYMPTOMS
People who suffer from PTSD exhibit a variety of symptoms. These can include a deep sense of helplessness, problems at home or work, abnormal fear, feelings of devastation, flashbacks from the event, a feeling of numbness, aversion to social contact, or avoidance of situations that might trigger memories of the event. Some physical responses may include depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, panic attacks, irritability, anger outbursts, difficulty with concentration or memory, feelings of vulnerability, fear of normal every-day activities, or feeling overwhelmed by the smallest of tasks.
LONGTERM EFFECTS
If left untreated, PTSD symptoms can become worse. Some documented cases include addiction to drugs or alcohol; chronic pain, hypertension or physical maladies; self injury; overwhelming fear of death; compulsiveness; personality changes; and self destructive incidents, to name a few.