PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, affects over 8 million people in the United States, according to the government, yet for many individuals with this disorder lack of understanding about what PTSD is and how it affects their day-to-day lives can make talking about it difficult and even stressful. In fact, because it can be difficult to talk about, even to loved ones, most people with PTSD don’t seek the help they need even though the treatments have been shown to be successful.
The National Center for PTSD notes that PTSD can be caused by any sort of trauma, like sexual assault, war and conflict as a Veteran or civilian, natural disaster, abuse as a child, or serious accidents. Sometimes it can come from more than one of these happening at the same time, or from separate incidents over a person’s lifetime. It can truly affect anyone, through no fault of their own. They estimate that over half of Americans have experienced some type of trauma.
If a person has been through a trauma, like the ones listed above, it’s normal to have upsetting memories of the event. People can have trouble sleeping, feel on edge, and it can be difficult to go back to doing, and enjoying, regular activities. If, however, those feelings last longer than a few months or more serious symptoms develop, it could be a sign of PTSD, and speaking to a counselor or other mental health provider can help.
Although PTSD is a single term, it actually covers a large number of symptoms. Some people may relive the event; this could be a flashback where the memory seems so real it feels like it’s really happening again, or it could be in nightmares. Sometimes this reliving is triggered by something that reminds the person of the event, like someone who has PTSD from being in a hurricane hearing about a hurricane striking another area, or someone who has been in combat hearing fireworks on Independence Day.
Sometimes people may avoid people or situations that remind them of the event, like people who were in combat avoiding crowded areas. For some people this can include feeling like they want to avoid treatment for PTSD because it will mean they must face what has happened.
These people may also feel more negative thoughts about themselves, the world around them, the event, or even guilt that things hadn’t turned out differently. They may feel more on-edge or irritable, or react to things in a way that is surprising. Like getting furious at small infractions, or abusing drugs or alcohol. They may also feel numb to everything, and not feel happy or connected to people and things like they want to, or used to.
Thankfully, therapy has been shown to be very effective in relieving the symptoms of PTSD, or even curing it in some cases, even years after the trauma took place. There are several different types of therapy, so people can find the kind that is a good fit for them. They can include therapy to help people relive the memory in a less traumatic way, medications to help with anxiety or depression, or processing therapy which can show them ways to stop from having unhealthy thoughts about themselves, or the world around them.
Even though PTSD is so common, people still hesitate to get treatment. Being far from a place to get treatment, stigma associated with mental illness, and even not being sure what is wrong with them can all stop people from getting the treatment they need.
Krystin Albert, CEO of Franklin VNA & Hospice says, “We know that PTSD can affect people of all ages, and walks of life, whether they have been Veterans or not. We hope that through articles like this, patient education for people on service with us, and collaborations with other community organizations, we can encourage people with PTSD to seek help in a way that makes sense to them. It’s another way that we believe in whole-person care, because all our patients are individuals, not numbers. That’s the beauty of our small agency- you’re never a number.”
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