Saswati Sarkar
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Written By: Saswati Sarkar | Updated : August 17, 2020 9:21 AM IST
PTSD is a trauma- and stressor-related disorder that occurs post one or more traumatic events.
It is quite tough to separate the truths from myths about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition characterised by anxiety and other emotional challenges. The myths that surround it can largely be attributed to the fact that the condition wasn't identified until 1980. The newness of its diagnosis has kept us in the dark about many aspects of PTSD.
Before debunking the myths, it's important to find out what PTSD is all about and how it is different from usual stress. The current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5), a manual for professionals in the field of mental health, defines PTSD as a trauma- and stressor-related disorder. This is a condition that occurs post one or more traumatic events or experiences in one's life. Under usual circumstances, a traumatic even triggers stress. But the intensity of the feeling of stress reduces with time. However, people with PTSD continue to struggle with the emotional challenges long after the event has occurred. Also, the severity of their sense of trauma or distress doesn't diminish over time.
Here are the top PTSD myths you should say goodbye to.
Myth: There is no treatment for this mental health condition
Fact: Well, post-traumatic stress disorder, like many other psychological conditions, isn't curable. However, there are various treatment options that help you manage its symptoms and live better. Cognitive behavioural therapy, repeated exposure to the stimulus, medications that calm the nerves and mood stabilizers are a few of the treatment modalities that will help you cope with this condition.
Myth: Whoever experiences trauma develops this disorder
Fact: Most people recover from the stress of a traumatic experience with time, even if it is acute. Only few undergo a lingering effect of stress even long after the occurrence of the traumatic event and grapple with it. The traumatic incidents that commonly trigger PTSD include physical or sexual assault, near-death situation, severe injury, natural calamity, or witnessing death very closely.
Myth: Only weak people get this clinical condition
Fact: This is far from reality. Though some people experience PTSD after experiencing trauma while others don't, this isn't reflective of the person's grit or the strength of his emotional fabric. There is a wide range of variables that increases or decreases one's vulnerability to post traumatic stress disorder. In other words, these variables make all the difference while it comes to getting or not getting this psychological ailment. They include pre-existing mental illness, family history of PTSD, severity, duration and recurrence of traumatic incidents that one has experienced, so on and so forth.
Myth: PTSD turns people crazy
Fact: People struggling with this condition experience a range of emotions including fear of a lurking danger, difficulty in concentration, anger outbursts even at inconsequential events, tunnel vision, so on and so forth. There could be physical symptoms of this condition too. Starting muscle tension to sweat, you can experience it all. But these are definitely not the signs of going 'crazy'. These are your body's defence mechanism to cope with your situation.
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