Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): What Is It And How Can We Treat It?
Do you know what post-traumatic stress disorder is? Discover the effects, symptoms and causes of post-traumatic shock to combat it through psychology.
There are many occasions that we remember from our past with a certain negativity. But in the case of post-traumatic stress or PTSD, people who suffer from it have experienced a trauma that can affect them in their daily lives. Discovering why and how this post-traumatic shock arises is one of the first steps to solving this problem.
He post-traumatic stress (PTSD) It is a disorder that originates after suffering a traumatic event such as an attack, accident or any event that generates terror in the person.
It is considered a post-traumatic stress disorder when symptoms last more than a month since the traumatic event occurs. It is common to remember what happened and for images of what happened to come intrusively. Sleep disorders often appear, including nightmares related (not always) to the traumatic event. In addition to these symptoms, it is also common for apathy to appear, anxiety about everyday events that are associated with what happened, avoidance of places that remind of the event, outbursts of rage and a great feeling of guilt that can lead to physical self-harm.
Causes of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD
He posttraumatic stress It is a reaction or emotional state derived from a traumatic experience, either because it has caused suffering or risk for us or because we have witnessed it.
It is a mental illness caused by a traumatic event. It is, therefore, a frequent problem in cases of abuse, rape, accidents (at work, on a plane, on the road…), earthquakes, etc. Even suffering from a very serious illness or seeing a close family member suffer from it can cause post-traumatic stress. If this is the case, it is necessary to consult a professional, since this emotional problem alters the quality of life of those who suffer from it significantly, since it limits their routines and conditions their work, social, family or relationship relationships. In the most severe cases, it can lead to states of depression and generalized anxiety.
Generally, when we talk about post-traumatic stress syndrome There are common causes that we can establish thanks to the psychological investigation of the cases.
Survival mechanism: He post-traumatic disorder or PTSD It ends up being the result of an instinctive mechanism that our body has to survive a traumatic experience. A good example of this is the flashbacks that these people experience. These can be explained as a reaction the body has to help the person be more prepared if this happens again.
High levels of adrenaline: Different psychological studies have shown that people who suffer from post-traumatic stress or post-traumatic shock They have abnormal levels of the stress-generating hormone. In this way, when you are in a dangerous situation, the body generates an excessive amount of adrenaline.
Changes in the brain: According to various investigations on the post-traumatic stress disorder, people who suffer from PTSD have certain abnormalities in the areas of the brain that are involved in emotions. In most patients with post-traumatic stress syndrome, the hippocampus (related to the processing of emotions and memory) is smaller than usual.
It is important to highlight that these traumatic events cannot be seen in films, photographs, etc., that is, by electronic means or reported by third parties.
Risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD
There is still not enough evidence to know exactly why some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder and others do not in the same situations. According to different studies, it has been analyzed that there are some factors that can trigger the possibility of experiencing a post-traumatic stress disorder
Having many emotional problems in a row (for example, losing your job and then losing a loved one).
Lack of emotional support
Environment with mental health problems (depressed family, anxious siblings, etc.)
Abuse of harmful substances (drugs, alcohol, tobacco, etc.)
Past experiences of abuse (in childhood or adolescence)
Poor physical health
In addition to these psychological factors, genetics can also influence the development of a post-traumatic shock
Symptoms of post-traumatic stress or PTSD
All of these events can cause you to experience a series of physical and emotional symptoms that cause a post-traumatic stress situation The most common of this syndrome are the following:
Continuous experiencing of trauma, that is, remembering the entire event that caused the stress syndrome and reliving it frequently.
Phobia of the places or situations that caused the trauma (taking a plane, riding in a car, interacting with the male sex, going outside…).
Palpitations and alteration of heart rhythm.
High blood pressure.
Loss of appetite.
Sleep disturbances.
Chills or excessive sweating.
Problems concentrating.
Anger and irritability.
Depression and anxiety.
Trouble breathing.
Substance abuse.
Difficulty relating to others.
Obsessive compulsive disorder.
Precisely for all this, it is important to put ourselves in the hands of psychology professionals so that they can offer us personalized treatment that helps overcome post-traumatic stress Normally, this treatment involves individual and group therapy sessions that address the problem to find solutions.
Treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD
The symptoms of post-traumatic stress They can limit the lives of people who suffer from them, since, in addition to being a continuous reminder of the emotions linked to the traumatic event, they trigger a series of problems that affect the day-to-day life of that person. Currently, there are different treatments to address post-traumatic stress disorder.
Psychotherapy: Of course, the first thing to do is put yourself in the hands of a psychologist specialized in posttraumatic stress It is important to have the help of a mental health professional, since each person requires different therapy. What works for one patient does not work the same for another. Hence, it is necessary for the psychologist to establish a personalized treatment.
Cognitive processing therapy: Another of the most effective methods to be able to address post-traumatic stress It is cognitive processing therapy. This is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on knowing how a traumatic event is perceived and attempts to deal with the mental and emotional part of the experience. In this type of approach to post-traumatic stress syndrome, you work with those thoughts related to a trauma that prevent you from continuing with your life.
EMDR therapy: This type of psychotherapy is often used to overcome traumas in our lives. It basically involves using sensory information such as side-to-side eye movements to try to help patients process difficult-to-process memories, thoughts, and emotions related to trauma.
Cognitive behavioral therapy: In many cases, patients with PTSD or post-traumatic stress They are treated through cognitive-behavioral therapy. In it a conversation is established that focuses on relating thoughts to feelings and behaviors.
Drugs: Although there are no medications specially designed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, the reality is that we can avoid being in shock through different drugs focused on treating anxiety and depression. So much so that various investigations show that these are useful to control the PTSD symptoms
What to do to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder?
Besides the Professional Help extremely necessary to overcome the problem, you can follow the recommendations that we give you here to achieve a fuller and more balanced life.
Find support: Professional support is key to trying overcome post-traumatic stress, but family or sentimental support is vital to continue fighting. No matter how much we go to therapy, if we are not motivated, if we are alone, if we believe that no one cares about us, it will be much more difficult to get out of the situation we find ourselves in. On the other hand, if we feel that others support us, listen to us and comfort us in moments of downturn, if we notice their presence, if they show us that we are not alone, it will be easier to have a reason to fight for.
Stay active: Being locked up at home reliving the problem is not the solution. It is important that we try to get our lives back and keep our minds busy. For this reason, post-traumatic stress experts recommend doing activities that stimulate us and help us overcome this bad experience. It is important that the person can keep busy, do some gentle physical exercise, even if it is walking, and the activities that each person can or wants.
Get your life back: It is difficult, very difficult, but professionals agree that routine helps keep the mind busy and, therefore, overcome stress. trauma and post-traumatic stress We reiterate what we said in the previous point: staying at home does not help. Therefore, after a reasonable amount of time, it is important that we try to recover our lives: go to work or school, go out, meet friends, go shopping… At first it will be extremely complicated for us, but as things go by As the weeks and months go by, we will realize how correct this decision was.
Find ways to relax: One of the side effects of experiencing an episode that has caused posttraumatic stress is that it causes problems when falling asleep. For this reason, insomnia and nightmares are added to our situation of anxiety and nervousness, which means that during the day we are tired and we feel more acutely aware of the emotional problems we have. Searching for meditation and relaxation exercises is vital to recover from any illness. If we have problems sleeping, we will have to tell the doctor so that he can give us appropriate treatment.
He post-traumatic stress disorder It is one of the most difficult psychological pathologies to solve. Addressing trauma not only requires the presence of a mental health professional but also involves a lot of effort on the part of the patient. But getting out of post-traumatic stress syndrome is possible through the will and help of everyone around you.
