What Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

What Is Psychological Trauma?

We call psychological trauma the effects caused by events, often extraordinary and unexpected, that frighten a person intensely, leave them in terror and make them feel helpless. Many events in life cause distress and sorrow, but not all of them cause psychological trauma. Post-traumatic stress disorder appears after frightening events and can last for years; it negatively affects the person, their family and their ability to work.

Which Events Cause Psychological Trauma?

• Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, fires)
• Man-made trauma (war, torture, rape)
• Accidents (work-related, traffic)
• Unexpected deaths
• Being diagnosed with a serious/life-threatening illness

The two most common illnesses after psychological trauma are depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. In many people, post-traumatic stress disorder is accompanied by other mental health conditions. The illness most commonly seen together with post-traumatic stress disorder is depression. Besides depression, various anxiety disorders and excessive alcohol or substance use may also occur. People who have had a mental illness before are at greater risk of that illness reappearing after trauma.

Symptoms

• Insomnia,
• Nightmares,
• Frequent, distressing memories of the event,
• A constant fear that the event will happen again, and therefore feeling on edge,
• Being easily startled,
• Irritability,
• Being unable to make plans for the future,
• Detachment (feeling that others don't understand me or what I've been through)

The person feels uneasy in situations that are reminders of the event and avoids such situations.

In most people, these symptoms appear in the days following the trauma and usually improve on their own within a few weeks, but in some people they can last for months or even years. Some World War II veterans who are now over 80 still bear the marks of this illness. Sometimes the symptoms can begin months after the traumatic event is over.

Medication:

In the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, antidepressant medications help relieve many of the symptoms. Using antidepressants is especially appropriate when post-traumatic stress disorder occurs together with depression. Treatment should be continued under a doctor's supervision, and the recommended duration and doses should be followed for the prescribed treatment to be effective.

Psychological treatments:

Among psychological treatments, the type shown to be effective is the method called cognitive behavioral therapy. This therapy aims to replace the faulty thoughts that keep the person's symptoms going with healthy thoughts. It also helps the person face the situations they avoid out of fear, reducing the fear they feel in these situations. Psychological treatments are provided by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists with training and experience in this area.