PTSD
PTSD or postrauma stress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder which was first noticed as early as the 19th Century in soldiers and called by various names including battle fatigue, the term was formally recognised by 1980. It affects people who have suffered some sort of traumatic event like a near-death experience, sexual abuse or serious injury. It’s a serious mental condition which can be debilitating on many levels. The initial symptoms are called Acute Stress Disorder and only if they continue for more than a month is the condition considered PTSD. There are a standard set of psychological tests to diagnose the condition which includes disturbing flashbacks, avoiding the memories of the event or high anxiety levels. Women are far likelier to suffer from PTSD because they are likelier to be at the end of sexual abuse. Also soldiers, rape victims and people who’ve grown up in abusive families have a tendency to suffer from the condition. PTSD affects mental and physical health, relationships and even job performance. The most common symptom of the condition is flashbacks of the event in question.
The various treatment options depend on the nature of the events. Some of the common ones include individual therapy, group therapy, medication, hypnosis, EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing – a kind of psycho-therapeutic process).
Risk factors
Women are far likelier to suffer from PTSD because they are likelier to be at the end of sexual abuse. Also soldiers, rape victims and people who’ve grown up in abusive families have a tendency to suffer from the condition. There is an interesting evolutionary explanation of PTSD which believes that it’s caused by events which our ancestors were not exposed to in everyday life. So people who’ve survived fires don’t seem to suffer from PTSD as much as war victims perhaps because modern warfare is relatively new compared to forest fires which have been around for ages. Studies also showed that children under the age of 10 are less likely to show symptoms than adults. (Read: Children exposed to violence suffer from health problems
Symptoms
PTSD affects mental and physical health, relationships and even job performance. The most common symptom of the condition is flashbacks. They are extremely debilitating and make the individual feel like they’ve travelled back in time and their tormentor (or the event that tormented them) is still there. Rachel says, ‘What people need to understand is that when that happens, it isn’t like your feet are in the here-and-now but your head is somewhere else. Rather, it feels like your entire being is back in time, reliving the trauma and experiencing the event. Moreover, a person can be triggered by even the smallest reminders. For example, let’s say a woman was raped by her boyfriend. For her, walking past a perfume store and suddenly smelling the cologne he used to wear could trigger her. Or walking down the street and seeing a man who is wearing the same kind of cap her boyfriend wore or going on a date with a man and him taking her hand. Years can pass by but a person with PTSD can still experience flashbacks that make it feel like the event is happening all over again.’
Diagnosis
According to psychotherapist Rachel Hercman, one is suffering from the condition only if the symptoms recur for a month. ‘The initial symptoms are called Acute Stress Disorder and only if they continue for more than a month is the condition considered PTSD. Not all people who go through a traumatic event develop PTSD, but all those who had PTSD have been through a traumatic event.’ There are a standard set of psychological tests to diagnose the condition which includes disturbing flashbacks, avoiding the memories of the event or high anxiety levels.
Treatment
The various treatment options depend on the nature of the events. Some of the common ones include individual therapy, group therapy, medication, hypnosis, EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing – a kind of psycho-therapeutic process). For some people, religion and spirituality also works. Rachel Hercman adds, ‘For some, getting involved in community events/advocacy relating to their trauma can serve as an avenue of healing that enables them to transform their experience into one that has a positive impact on the world.
There are many activists in their respective causes who have shared that they were motivated to get involved because they went through a trauma and wanted to channel their energy into something productive. Ashley Judd, an American actress and daughter of famous American country singer Winona Judd, is an activist and has shared that she is a three-time rape survivor.’
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