Understanding post-traumatic stress disorder
Traumatic events, such as military combat, assault, an accident or a natural disaster, can have long-lasting negative effects. Sometimes, our biological responses and instincts, which can be lifesaving during a crisis, leave people with ongoing psychological symptoms because they are not integrated into consciousness.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects around 6% of the U.S. adult population at some point in their lifetime, with women more likely to develop the condition than men. While PTSD can occur at any age, the average age of onset is in a person’s early 20s.
The symptoms of PTSD fall into the following categories:
Intrusive memories can include flashbacks of reliving the moment of trauma, bad dreams and scary thoughts
Avoidance can include staying away from certain places or objects that are reminders of the traumatic event. A person may also feel numb, guilty, worried or depressed or have trouble remembering the traumatic event
Dissociation can include out-of-body experiences or feeling that the world is "not real”
Hypervigilance can include being startled very easily, feeling tense, having trouble sleeping or having outbursts of anger
Symptoms of PTSD usually begin within three months after a traumatic event but occasionally emerge years afterward. Symptoms must last more than a month to be considered PTSD. PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance use or another anxiety disorder.
PTSD is treated and managed in several ways:
Medications, including mood stabilizers, antipsychotic medications and antidepressants
Psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or group therapy
Self-management strategies, such as "self-soothing”
Many therapy techniques, including mindfulness, are helpful to ground a person and bring them back to reality after a dissociative episode or a flashback. Service animals, especially dogs, can help soothe some of the symptoms of PTSD. Though PTSD cannot be cured, it can be treated effectively.
