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[P557]Post Traumatic Stress Disorders

by Alex Rider, Ale

Events that can trigger PTSD to occur include violent attacks on people e.g. muggings, rape, human caused or natural disasters, and military combat. Once someone has PTSD they often find it to be hugely disabling.

Large quantities of research has led to a much better understanding of how the brain and body are affected by PTSD, various treatments are now available.

In terms of PTSD symptoms, those affected tend to re-experience the worst parts of their horrible past in the form of memory flashbacks and nightmares/ frightening thoughts. Certain objects or events, e.g. anniversaries, that in some way remind the sufferer of these dark thoughts can spark these replays. Another symptom of PTSD is a numbness to emotions, depression, poor sleeping ability, anxiety, outbursts of anger and general irritability. Powerful emotions of guilt are also common. The majority of those affected by PTSD try to stay clear of anything that may remind them of their past ordeals. If symptoms like these endure for over one month PTSD can then be diagnosed.

PTSD can affect any age, from children right through to the elderly. Symptoms are likely to show themselves within three months of a particular traumatic event.

Around 3.6% of U.S. adults between the ages of 18-54, 5.2 million people in all, suffer from PTSD in any given year. War zones have been visited by roughly 30% of men and women with PTSD. The Vietnam War saw one million veterans develop this anxiety disorder. Soldiers that fought in the Gulf War also had a high number, estimated at up to 8%.

Once apparent this illnesses duration and severity are variable, lasting from just six months to many years.

Through research effective treatments such as those involving cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy and group therapy have been realized. This treatment works by getting the person affected to repetitively re-live their nightmares, in a controlled environment, with the aim of them becoming more able to deal with and leave behind the damaging memories. Medications have been found to lessen PTSD symptoms of anxiety and depression whilst furthering sleep. Trauma-specific treatments are currently being worked on.

Other problems can sometime become associated with PTSD, e.g. alcoholism, substance abuse, co-occurring depression and other types of anxiety disorder.

Gastrointestinal complaints, dizziness, problems with the patient's immune system, headaches or chest pains, amongst numerous other possible bodily ailments are not unusual.

What is vital is that quick, effective diagnosis and treatment of these conditions occurs, so as to provide the best chance of treatment success.

Upon diagnosis the sufferer is usually referred to a mental health professional that has specialized for years in dealing with patients displaying the particular disorder in question.

Individuals more open to developing PTSD are those that have suffered abuse when a child or people who've undergone highly traumatic experiences. More and more factors that can lead to PTSD are being found by researchers every day.

What was once believed to be a sign of recovery, emotional numbness, is now considered more likely to be a factor promoting PTSD development.

New research has identified the amygdala, a small yet highly complex structure within our brains controlling our bodies fear response, as being abnormally activated in cases of PTSD.

The memory section of our brains, the hippocampus, may be functioning abnormally in association with PTSD, providing the various re-living of past nightmarish events.

PTSD often manifests its self through unusual levels of particular hormones. Cortisol has often been seen in lower than usual quantities whilst norepinephrine and epinephrine has been found at abnormally high levels.

Natural pain-relieving opiates released when people feel they are in danger may be what contribute to emotional distancing. These chemicals are released for longer than normal durations, often lasting after the terrifying event has taken place.

Research into improved understandings of how neurotransmitter systems operate with memories of high significance may prove fruitful with reducing the early development of PTSD via psychological interventions or medications.

First diagnosed in war veterans, post-traumatic stress disorder was initially named "shell shock" then "battle fatigue". However, by the time of the conflict in Vietnam, it was given the name "post-traumatic stress disorder" (PTSD) in order to give a clearer idea of what exactly is at work. As well, it is not only found in war veterans. In fact, it can be seen in people who were abused as children, rape victims, people who have to clean up after disaster, or anyone else who has undergone severe stress at any point in their lives.

Unfortunately, the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder is still in its infancy. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and neurologists are still coming to grips with the disease and its causes and effects, but they are learning new things constantly.

In a strictly biochemical sense, PTSD has its root causes at the moment of stress itself. It seems that at moments of extreme stress, the biochemical system in charge of adjusting to stress is reset, like a computer. It is as though the system is so overloaded that it has to shut itself down and restart. Unfortunately, this also causes the mind to quickly return to that moment when it had to start and stop, which can cause flashbacks to the moments when the shock occurred.

The other results of post-traumatic stress disorder include anger, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, memory problems including amnesia, or any of a host of other mental disorders. Unfortunately, many of these disorders are treated individually without concern for the root cause. This is particularly worrisome because approximately 3.6% of adults between the ages of 18 and 54 are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and the vast majority of them go undiagnosed and untreated. As well, women are twice as likely as men to experience PTSD after a sudden shock.

For those who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, there are some ways to treat it. The most common form of treatment is through psychotherapy. A therapist has several tools at his or her disposal and can work with the sufferer to root out the causes of the disorder and help cure it. As well, a psychiatrist is the best person to talk to in order to actually diagnose PTSD in the first place, helping the sufferer to at least understand what is happening. Knowing what is wrong is the first step to curing it, after all.

Group treatment is also effective, as it allows people to talk about their feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety, or depression with others who feel the same way. This allows people to get comfortable with one another and talk about their feelings openly and honestly. By getting the issues out in the open, it almost spreads it out and allows the trauma to dissipate by opening it up to other people.

However, there are some medications that can be used to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Mostly, these drugs are used to treat some of the symptoms of PTSD, such as depression or anxiety, allowing the sufferer to at least alleviate the condition. Most of these drugs take some time to work before they actually show results so, if you have been put onto medication for PTSD, give it a few weeks before you start expecting relief.

However, studies have shown that the best way to treat post-traumatic stress disorder is to nip it in the bud shortly after the trauma has occurred. The usual method is to sit down with someone who has suffered a trauma about 3-10 days after the trauma occurred. This will allow the feelings to be fresh, while it also helps people relieve the trauma by bringing it out before it hides itself in the mind. There has been some success with this sort of treatment, though it does require the trauma to be recognized early.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a surprisingly common disorder that often goes unnoticed and untreated. However, with improvements in therapy and medication, there is new hope for those who suffer from this debilitating disorder.

Article Source : anger and stress management

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Both Alex Rider & Trevor Dumbleton are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Alex Rider has sinced written about articles on various topics from Breast Enlargements, Air Purifier Cleaners and Breast Enlargements. Do you suffer from the occassional ? If you need some useful. Alex Rider's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.

Trevor Dumbleton has sinced written about articles on various topics from Stress Management, Wellness and Guided Meditation. Trevor Dumbleton is the owner of http://www.LowerYourStress.com/ a categorized resource directory for everything to do with stress.. Trevor Dumbleton's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.