Q: My friend was in a terrible accident and she tells
me she has PSTD. What is that?
A: PSTD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is an anxiety disorder. PSTD
can be caused by a terrifying experience in which serious physical harm
occurred or was threatened. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one
who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may
have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.
It can result from a variety of traumatic incidents,
such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse,
car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such
as floods or earthquakes.
Common symptoms include flashbacks, where a
person repeatedly relives the trauma, which may include nightmares, depression
and feelings of anger or irritability, as well as avoidance
of people and places that are reminders of the terrifying experience and dread its anniversary. Flashbacks
are often triggered by ordinary occurrences.
People with PTSD may startle easily, become
emotionally numb, especially to those who were close to them, lose interest in
things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable,
become more aggressive, or even become violent.
Symptoms usually begin within 3 months of
the incident but occasionally emerge years afterward. Bad things happen in
everyone’s lives but not everyone who witnesses a traumatic event are diagnosed
with PTSD. Symptoms must last more than a month to be considered PTSD. Some
people recover within 6 months, while others have symptoms that last much
longer and in other the condition becomes chronic.
PTSD
can occur at any age, including childhood. Women are more likely to develop
PTSD than men. PTSD is often accompanied
by depression, substance abuse, or one or more of the other anxiety disorders.
As I mentioned in earlier blogs, the best treatment for anxiety
disorders is medication, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and support from others.
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