What is PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious psychological disorder that is triggered by an extremely terrifying or traumatic event. The shock caused by being in that event can leave lasting impacts and make it difficult for you to resume your day-to-day life.
It is to be noted that the trauma following normal distress will fade away with time, but; for PTSD this shock stays for longer and is more potent.
What are the signs and symptoms of PTSD?
It is normal to feel shocked for hours even days, but for it to be PTSD, your shock can last for weeks or even months. Although symptoms of PTSD vary from person to person, they usually fall into four major categories.
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Uncontrollable thoughts: You feel as if you’re reliving the experience and have repetitive.
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Unwanted thoughts about your experience.
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Avoidance: You try to avoid anything that reminds you of the traumatic event, such as talking about it, visiting places where that event took place, or even people and objects that serve as reminders.
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Increased emotional problems: You find it difficult to handle your emotions and have negative beliefs about yourself and others, “I am not normal” or “no one can be trusted” etc.
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Arousal problems: Even if you’re in a safe environment, you feel on edge. Outbursts of anger, irritability, etc. Physical symptoms might include high blood pressure, feeling jumpy or rapid breathing.
What causes PTSD?
Being associated with any traumatic event that poses a serious threat to your life or psychological well-being can cause PTSD, such as:
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being involved in War or terrorist attacks;
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natural disasters;
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serious life-threatening accidents;
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receiving a life-threatening diagnosis;
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loss of a loved one;
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rape or physical abuse etc.
In short, any situation that triggers shock, fear or horror can lead to PTSD.
Recommended treatments for PTSD
Fortunately, PTSD is treatable to a great extent. Psychotherapy and medications are among the two major treatments for PTSD. A person may benefit from a combination of both psychotherapy and medications, but in most cases, psychotherapy alone proves extremely beneficial in overcoming symptoms.
Benefits of psychotherapy and counselling for PTSD?
PTSD can be a debilitating condition and leave many problems in its way. However, psychotherapy is an excellent approach that can help you regain your personal strength, develop strategies to tackle your issues and in short, help you fight off PTSD and live a healthier life in general.
Psychotherapy for PTSD has three main agendas:
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Improve your symptoms
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Teach you skills to deal with it
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Restore your self-esteem
Most commonly used therapies for treating PTSD fall under the umbrella of CBT. It focuses on observing your thinking and finding flaws in your thought patterns. It teaches you coping strategies to develop better thinking and how you can deal with the symptoms on your own.
CBT is often used with exposure therapy to help you learn how to confront your fears so you can cope with them rationally. Several other approaches can also be applied depending on the individual undergoing treatment.
