Introductory story – It could be any of us

He approached the presenter after the in-service class on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He recognized most of the signs and symptoms of PTSD as things that had bothered him for years. He had nightmares that interfered with his sleep. He described himself as “jumpy.” He had gotten more irritable over time and was estranged from his wife, having made a bedroom out of his basement so he would not act aggressively toward the family. He did not ride with anybody else, insisting on always driving himself. It gave him a sense of control while feeling extremely tense at the same time. He startled easily. He reported that the nightmares were of a traffic accident he had 18 years before in which, he thought, he was going to die. He saw the other vehicle coming, but he did not have time to react. Before the fire department extracted him from his car, he saw the other driver slumped over the wheel of her car. He would have flashes of that scene at unexpected times during the day. Sometimes he thought, “I can’t control my own thoughts. I may be going crazy.” He never considered PTSD because he thought that was something that just affected veterans. 

June is PTSD Awareness Month.

Like the man described above, many of us think of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as something that happens to others, especially people who have experienced the trauma of war. That is one of the myths of PTSD. Any of us who experience a threatening situation that seems out of our control and overwhelming is susceptible to PTSD.

Other myths are:

• Symptoms appear immediately after a trauma. Symptoms of PTSD can show up as soon as one month or years after experiencing a trauma.
• People who experience PTSD are dangerous. Like the man above, most people who have been traumatized struggle with a sense of being out of control and try to protect others by withdrawing from personal relationships.
• Everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD. Research actually shows that about 5% of people in the US experience PTSD in a given year.

Definition:

A mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying, life-threatening event, lasting more than a month and interfering with daily functioning. Traumatic events may include: abuse, natural disasters, serious accidents, war, intimate partner violence, and medical crises.

Signs and symptoms of PTSD: 

• Re-experiencing the traumatic event – flashbacks, nightmares, etc. 
• Avoiding things that trigger memories – places, people and things. Won’t talk about experiences. In the extreme – substance abuse to self-medicate.
• Mood and cognitions change – self-blame, lack of interest in things that used to bring happiness, depressed mood, memory problems, ongoing fears.
• Excessive arousal  – being irritable, having angry outbursts, trouble concentrating, trouble sleeping.
• Physical symptoms – high blood pressure, ongoing muscle pain, digestive problems, migraine headaches, weakened immune system.

Effective interventions

The good news is that unlike the man in the case study above, people do not have to live with the life-limiting effects of PTSD for 18 years. Effective, evidence-based treatments are available, including: 

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – focuses on identifying and redefining unhelpful beliefs about the trauma and your part in it, like self-blame, the permanence of the experience, and fear of reoccurrence 
• Prolonged exposure therapy – gradual reprocessing of memories of trauma and emotions related to them that you may be avoiding
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing – helps process memories, emotions associated with them, and self-evaluative beliefs about trauma
• Narrative Exposure Therapy – relatively short-term therapy involving writing out the story of the trauma to both decrease the emotional impact and reinterpret the meaning.

In picking a mental health professional to facilitate management of PTSD, be sure to ask about the professional’s experience and knowledge of trauma treatment. The professional should be:

• A licensed mental health professional – a psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, and or licensed professional counselor. 
• Have specialization training in caring for people with trauma issues. They should be able to explain how their treatment plans will deal with your experiences, concerns, and goals. 
• Use evidence-based treatment modalities. They should be familiar with the treatment modalities above.

By Beautiful Minds Coalition: A Mental Health Ministry