PTSD Awareness Month – June 2012
To how PTSD testament turned their livers around, click on image to link to their stories.
“Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects 1 in 29 Americans, from our country’s service men and women to abused children and survivors of rape, domestic violence and natural disasters,” says HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in her press release announcing PTSD Awareness Month. To raise awareness about PTSD, how its developed, its symptoms, those who experience it, and effective treatments, I am sharing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD Public Section fact sheet information below. Please take the time to read through this and pass it along to others you know. For as Secretary Sebelius concluded in her news release, “We have a responsibility to help Americans who have lived through trauma, especially our nation’s service men and women who may be struggling with PTSD. We owe them the care and resources they need to get well.”
Please know – the following is a reprint of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD Public Section fact sheet on PTSD.
What is PTSD?
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something terrible and scary that you see, hear about, or that happens to you, like:
- Combat exposure
- Child sexual or physical abuse
- Terrorist attack
- Sexual or physical assault
- Serious accidents, like a car wreck
- Natural disasters, like a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake
During a traumatic event, you think that your life or others’ lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening around you. Most people have some stress-related reactions after a traumatic event; but,not everyone gets PTSD. If your reactions don’t go away over time and they disrupt your life, you may have PTSD.
How does PTSD develop?
Most people who go through a trauma have some symptoms at the beginning. Only some will develop PTSD over time. It isn’t clear why some people develop PTSD and others don’t. Whether or not you get PTSD depends on many things:
- How intense the trauma was or how long it lasted
- If you were injured or lost someone important to you
- How close you were to the event
- How strong your reaction was
- How much you felt in control of events
- How much help and support you got after the event
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not appear until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer than 4 weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work or home life, you might have PTSD. There are four types of symptoms of PTSD:
1. Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms).
You may have bad memories or nightmares. You even may feel like you’re going through the event again. This is called a flashback.
2. Avoiding situations that remind you of the event
You may try to avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the traumatic event. You may even avoid talking or thinking about the event.
3. Feeling numb
You may find it hard to express your feelings. Or, you may not be interested in activities you used to enjoy. This is another way to avoid memories.
4. Feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal)
You may be jittery, or always alert and on the lookout for danger. This is known as hyperarousal.
Can children have PTSD?
Children can have PTSD too. They may have symptoms described above or other symptoms depending on how old they are. As children get older, their symptoms are more like those of adults. Here are some examples of PTSD symptoms in children:
- Children age birth to 5 may get upset if their parents are not close by, have trouble sleeping, or suddenly have trouble with toilet training or going to the bathroom.
- Children age 6 to 11 may act out the trauma through play, drawings, or stories. Some have nightmares or become more irritable or aggressive. They may also want to avoid school or have trouble with schoolwork or friends.
- Children age 12 to 18 have symptoms more similar to adults: depression, anxiety, withdrawal, or reckless behavior like substance abuse or running away.
What other problems do people with PTSD experience?
People with PTSD may also have other problems. These include:
- Feelings of hopelessness, shame, or despair
- Depression or anxiety
- Drinking or drug problems
- Physical symptoms or chronic pain
- Employment problems
- Relationship problems, including divorce
In many cases, treatments for PTSD will also help these other problems, because they are often related. The coping skills you learn in treatment can work for PTSD and these related problems.
Will I get better?
“Getting better” means different things for different people, and not everyone who gets treatment will be “cured.” Even if you continue to have symptoms, however, treatment can help you cope. Your symptoms don’t have to interfere with your everyday activities, work, and relationships.
What PTSD treatments are available?
When you have PTSD, dealing with the past can be hard. Instead of telling others how you feel, you may keep your feelings bottled up. But treatment can help you get better. There are two main types of treatment, psychotherapy (sometimes called counseling) and medication. Sometimes people combine psychotherapy and medication.
Psychotherapy for PTSD
Psychotherapy, or counseling, involves meeting with a therapist. There are different types of psychotherapy:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective treatment for PTSD. There are different types of CBT. such as cognitive therapy and exposure therapy.
– One type is Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) where you learn skills to understand how trauma changed your thoughts and feelings.
– Another type is Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy where you talk about your trauma repeatedly until memories are no longer upsetting. You also go to places that are safe, but that you have been staying away from because they are related to the trauma.
- A similar kind of therapy is called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). This therapy involves focusing on sounds or hand movements while you talk about the trauma.
Medications for PTSD
Medications can be effective too. A type of drug known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which is also used for depression, is effective for PTSD. Another medication called Prazosin has been found to be helpful in decreasing nightmares related to the trauma.
IMPORTANT: Benzodiazepines and atypical antipsychotics should generally be avoided for PTSD treatment because they do not treat the core PTSD symptoms.
Note: The original source document was created: 01/01/2007. Click here >>> National Center for PTSD, PUBLIC Section to find revisions and updates.
For a great deal of additional information, such as the impacts of a loved one’s PTSD on family members and friends, please visit the U.S. Department of Affairs National Center for PTSD. To learn how you can help spread the word and celebrate PTSD Awareness Month, please visit PTSD Awareness Month.
Lisa Frederiksen
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wow, never knew all the complications; thank you for informing us on PTSD. I love to learn a lot more from you; thanks!
Thanks for reading and adding your comment!
Fantastic information! Interesting statistics and explains maybe why we are seeing such an increase in drug abuse and addictions.
Mental illness (e.g., PTSD) is one of the 5 key risk factors contributing to a person developing a substance abuse problem or addiction. Not only that, but the effects for the spouses and children of coping with it when it’s not understood or treated has significant ripple effects for them, as well. Thanks for reading and adding your comment.
Brilliant information as always! I never realised that children could have PTSD and that is interesting because I think children can often get labelled as ‘difficult’ or having something like ‘attention deficit’ when in fact their behaviour could be a result of trauma.
I so agree with you Carolyn! Hopefully raising awareness like this can help those who are doing the diagnosing understand the role Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) plays in causing brain developmental changes in children that then present as behavioral problems. Thanks for commenting!
I had no idea 1 in 29. I am familiar with PTSD but not in terms of those in service. Thanks so much for the education!
It is high, and many of us aren’t aware that others beyond veterans suffer PTSD — especially children. Thank you for reading and commenting!
Lisa, thanks so much for sharing this incredibly important information about PTSD. 1 in 29….that is an astoundingly high number.
Thank you for reading it and sharing your comment!!
Great information. I didn’t know about it at all, thank you.
Thanks for reading and adding your comment.
Excellent information. I had not idea that the rate was so high. I like that you gave non-drug solutions – might I add one more? EFT (with a guiding counselor) has been shown to be highly effective as well. I have seen it make drastic emotional shifts in just minutes.
Thank you for sharing this additional treatment option! It’s so important to help people understand there is no one “right way” to heal the brain.
This disorder affects more people than we ever really know. Thanks for sharing this !
Thank you for reading and adding your comment!
It doesn’t take much to throw your entire system out of whack. A lot of people probably have minor versions of this and don’t even know it.
That’s so true, Maria!
Wow, 1 in 29 people have PTSD? Thank you for bringing awareness to such a prevalent problem. I am seeing more and more massage clients with PTSD that is service related. I suspect that will only increase. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome! And it’s helpful for readers to understand that massage is another wonderful treatment option for PTSD.
An amazing piece on PSTD, thanks for the education.
Great list of symptoms. I volunteer for http://teeoffforeacause.org and we raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project. They advocate about PTSD a lot on their website and se as social media manager, I reshare a lot of info. Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this volunteer opportunity and very imporant resource for veterans — and for passing this information along!
This is one of the best explanations of PTSD I have seen. I think it is important to be aware of, since it can happy to anyone. Knowing what it is and what it involves will enable us to be more compassionate toward those experiencing it and to be able to help them in their recovery.
I agree — the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD Public Section did an excellent job of explaining the various aspects of PTSD. And as you said, this will help all of us becomore compassionate towards those experiencing it. It will also help us become more compassionate for their family members and what they’re experiencing as well. Thanks for adding your comment!
Thank you for reading and adding your comment. The source for this info – the the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD Public Section – provides a wealth of helpful information and support resources.
Love it how informative your blog posts are, great job!
Thank you so much!
Hi Lisa,
Great post as usual. I, as well didn’t realize that children could have PTSD. This is important to know in case we have suffered from trauma, or need to help someone else. Thanks for sharing this important information.
Thanks so much, Cathy. You are right — it’s very important we spread the word and help children and adults understand children can have PTSD, which then, by the way, becomes a risk factor for developing a substance abuse problem or an addiction later in their lives. I really appreciate your regular comments on my posts, Cathy!!
I did not realize that children could suffer PTSD as well. Thanks for sharing such important information.
Thanks so much for reading and adding your comment!
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