Post Traumatic Stress Symdrome (PTSD)

PTSD is a condition caused by an event (or events, as it were) during which the person felt fear and helplessness. It was first identified after WWI as "shell shock". Soldiers who were in combat would display the characteristic signs of PTSD and were often persecuted for it. Today, PTSD affects survivors of natural disasters (i.e. floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc) as well as survivors of abuse and rape. It is an emotional reaction to a trauma (or repeated trauma) that persists for longer than one month and is characterized by one or more of each in the following areas:

INTRUSIVE

• Flashbacks (or the feeling of reliving the trauma)
• Psychological stress when "triggered"
• Nightmares
• Extreme reactions to "triggers"

AVOIDANCE

• Efforts to avoid triggers (people, places, sights, etc. that are associated with the trauma
• Amnesia
• Detachment from others
• Inability to experience certain emotions

INCREASED AROUSAL

• Pronounced startle reflex
• Insomnia
• Hypervigilance
• Irritability or aggression

PTSD is usually in response to a single life-threatening event but can be seen as an accumulative effect after many nonlife-threatening events, such as those experienced by survivors of childhood abuse.

Treatment consists of education about the causes and effects of PTSD, examination of the feelings associated with PTSD, reliving the traumatic event (events) in a safe environment, and education about dealing with the feelings and memories associated with the trauma. Medication may help ease the anxiety.