Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a kind of anxiety disorder that develops after a very devastating event. It is possible to have PTSD as a result your firsthand involvement in the event, whether you were directly affected by trauma or saw something traumatic happen to someone else.

When someone is involved in a traumatic event, there is always that window of time consumed by mental and/or physical healing. However, as time passes, the victim tends to get on with their life as they come to terms with what transpired. For a select group of people, symptoms may worsen during the recovery process and persist for months and even years. When this inability to cope begins to interrupt your life, there is a possibility that you have PTSD.

People who have survived disturbing or violent experiences such as sexual or physical assault, war, torture, natural disaster, or an airplane crash are primary candidates for PTSD. Rescue workers such as paramedics, firemen, and police officers who offer their services at a location where there are multiple fatalities (e.g., terrorist attack) are also susceptible to PTSD. These sorts of incidents can instill helpless and horrific feelings in people. Your best bet is to get treated for PTSD before it has a chance to get worse.

Causes

Doctors are in the process of figuring out what activates PTSD. Currently, all experts can assume is that it is an intricate combination of:

Biology and heredity.
Life history.
Personality.
Chemical imbalance of the brain.

Symptoms

People will begin to notice signs of PTSD within about 90 days of the life-altering event, but in some instances, they may not appear until years later. The more common symptoms include:

Flashbacks which may involve reviving the event in your mind for minutes or days on end.
Humiliation or guilt.
Nightmares recounting the event.
Making an effort to avoid thinking about or discussing the event.
Emotional numbness.
Short-temperedness.
Distancing oneself from others.
Abusive behavior (e.g., drinking or drug use).
Grim outlook on life.
Sleep problems.
Memory problems.
Inability to focus.
Jumpiness.
Lack of interest in hobbies or activities that used to bring happiness.
Hallucinations.

Symptoms related to PTSD may be worse some days than others. Times of high stress and symbols reminding you of what you endured can intensify your symptoms. For instance, if you are a war veteran, a muffler backfiring may remind you of gunshots on the battlefield and virtually bring you back to that point in your life, causing a flashback.