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updated September 22, 1998


POST TRAUMATIC STRESS FOLLOWS TERRIFYING EVENTS

September 22, 1998

We call post-traumatic stress PTSD for short.

It was once used, primarily, to describe shell shock or battle fatigue because it was brought to the attention of the public by war veterans.

But PTSD can result from any number of traumatic events. These might include kidnaping, serious accidents such as car or train wrecks. Even natural disasters like floods, tornadoes, hurricanes or earthquakes.

We also use PTSD when a cluster of symptoms follows violent attacks like a mugging, rape, torture or being held captive.

The event that triggers PTSD is usually something viewed as life threatening -- either to the victim directly, or when the victim of PTSD witnesses a life-threatening event, but especially the death of someone else.

Whatever the source of the event, people who suffer PTSD relive the trauma. Sleep disturbances are common. These can come in the form of nightmares that disturb sleep, or they can come as recollections when the sufferer is awake.

To regain a sense of personal and psychological safety, persons who suffer from PTSD will try to detach themselves from the traumatic memories. They try to numb themselves to the tragedy.

They may develop a form of depression that is episodic in nature -- that is, it is directly related to the episode that sparked the stressor -- the traumatic event.

People who suffer from PTSD startle easily.

They may also temporarily lose interest in things they used to like doing. They often have difficulties being affectionate during their time of healing.

Frequently, PTSD sufferers become more irritable -- even aggressive -- and with some rarity, violent.

Reminders of the traumatic incident are particularly distressing. Avoiding the reminders include refusing to go back to where the incident or accident occurred.

Particularly difficult times are around the anniversary of the traumatic event.

People who suffer from PTSD often experience flashbacks or intrusive memories of the event. These mini-reenactments of the trauma serve to pull pain and anxiety off the experience, even though they are frightening. Over time, the intensity of the fears tends to lessen.

If left untended, symptoms of PTSD may not surface for about three months after the trauma. There have been instances, though, when PTSD symptoms surfaced years after the trauma.

People generally recover within six months of that time, although some have bothersome symptoms that last longer. And in some cases, the condition becomes chronic.

There are also medications available to treat the symptoms of depression and/or sleep disorders.

Psychotherapy, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy, can be extremely beneficial. I have favored a cognitive approach to therapy for many years, especially where anxieties are concerned. And PTSD sufferers respond well to cognitive therapy. It helps to learn how dreaded fears get filed away in memory and what triggers their return.

And certainly, the love and compassion of family and friends will speed recovery along.

The love we share with others is always an integral part of healing.


10 WAYS TO CONTROL AND MANAGE STRESS IN YOUR LIFE

August 22, 1998

Some stress is unavoidable. It's a part of our daily lives. But how can we better cope with the stressors that just seem to keep piling up in our lives?

  1. Set some realistic goals. Identify what you really need to do first.

  2. Get yourself organized. There's only 24 hours in a day, eight of which should be "down time" -- either asleep or getting ready to get to bed. Breakfast, lunch and dinner should be in there, too -- so you're left with 13 hours, 8 of which will be involved at work. Now you've got 5 hours left. You can get a lot done in 5 hours if you get organized.

  3. Learn to say "no" -- especially if someone wants you to do something that is particularly stressful to you. You don't have to do everything that other people ask you to do.

  4. Realize that some stress is unavoidable. This can be a task like opening the mail, for some. Unless you're lucky and get personal mail from people who love you. But bank statements bring additional chores, like balancing the checkbook, then filing statements away so they don't end up as clutter on your desk. Most mail that comes in requires us to do at least one other thing. So opening the mail may be stressful because you have to do something with it -- that means adding something to your already burdened things-to-do-list.

  5. Make a list of the stressful situations in your life. It helps to identify what may have been vague and anxiety-provoking.

  6. Now divide the list up into parts. You should have three parts -- things you can change; things you can't control; and other things you can't influence.

  7. Concentrate your time and talents on the section of your list you can change. This is where you want to burn your energy.

  8. Don't waste your energies and efforts on the areas you can't control. Doing so would only frustrate you. Same goes for areas you can't influence.

  9. Share your frustrations with others. See if someone who can view the challenges from the outside can offer suggestions that may not have occurred to you. You know -- two heads are better than one. This is particularly true when it comes to problem-solving.

  10. Treat yourself to a time out. Yes, adults need a time out too. So take a break and relax. Sometimes you return to a task at hand with a different perspective and are able to solve a problem without getting so frustrated. Find a relaxing place in your head where you can go to enjoy a pleasant memory or two!

    from The Reinheimer Letter July 1998,

    Email: rein@starnetinc.com