Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that affects individuals who have witnessed or experienced directly or indirectly a traumatic event. Direct traumatic events can include natural disasters, accidents, terrorist attacks, and violent personal assaults, while indirect traumatic events include learning about the trauma or witnessing it happening to others.
Symptoms of PTSD include arousal, re-experiencing, avoidance, and dissociation. Individuals who are suffering from PTSD sometimes have unexpected panic attacks, are prone to bouts of anxiety and depression, and have difficulty relating to others and their environment. At times they may feel as if they are back in the event, re-experiencing it all over again with no way out.
Re-experiencing nightmares or flashbacks can add to sleep issues, insomnia, poor concentration, and difficulties engaging in regular daily and social activities. For some, anxiety from the trauma can increase safety behaviors—avoiding people, places, and things that could remind them of the traumatic event. This often has the effect of making their world feel smaller and more constricted.
Individuals with PTSD may also experience dissociation, often feeling disconnected or numb, having difficulty with emotional regulation, feeling spaced out or not present, and having difficulty relating to others in the present moment.
PTSD is treated using psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), grounding, mindfulness, and working with the body and mind together. CBT helps individuals identify and challenge negative thoughts and feelings associated with the traumatic event and make sense of what happened.
The goal of therapy is to help individuals gently and slowly process their thoughts and feelings about the traumatic experience in a more adaptive way, and to make sense of their lives after the trauma. Medication, such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication, may also be prescribed to help with anxiety and depression.
It is important to seek professional help if you believe you may be suffering from PTSD. Therapy can provide support and guidance to individuals and their families, helping them manage symptoms and work toward recovery and a fuller life in the present moment.
PTSD is a debilitating and complex disorder that can be caused by exposure to a traumatic event. Treatment, mindfulness, medication when appropriate, and the support of a psychologist can help individuals manage symptoms and recover to live a life that is not scarred by trauma.