With June being PTSD Awareness Month, we wanted to take a closer look at understanding PTSD, its symptoms, and some of the
more common misconceptions. Most of us are familiar with the movie-version of PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: the soldier returning from war who loses it in a psychotic, angry and violent episode. But this isn’t the only version of PTSD.
Common Misconceptions about PTSD
#1: Only war vets suffer from PTSD
While a large portion of our military returning from combat (about 30%) does struggle with PTSD, they aren’t the only ones. PTSD can affect anyone who has experienced a traumatic event, including children. This could include abuse victims, rape victims, those involved in accidents, first responders or anyone who has witnessed a crime or a natural disaster, as well as refugees or those seeking asylum. It’s important to remember that what is perceived as traumtic by one person might not be by another. Just as not everyone who is involved in a traumatic experience will develop PTSD.
#2: PTSD happens immediately after a traumatic event
For many sufferers, the symptoms of PTSD do appear shortly after the traumatic event. But for some, they may not start for months or years after the event. Symptoms may also come and go over many years.
Symptoms and Criteria for Diagnosing PTSD:
- Behavioral: agitation, irritability, hostility, hypervigilance, self-destructive behavior, or social isolation
- Psychological: flashback, fear, severe anxiety, or mistrust
- Mood: inability to feel pleasure, guilt, or loneliness
- Sleep: insomnia or nightmares
- Also common: emotional detachment or unwanted thoughts
Criteria for diagnosing PTSD:
- Experiencing a traumatic event (defined by):
1. Directly experiencing the traumatic event.
2. Witnessing, in person, the event as it occurred to others.
3. Learning that the traumatic event occurred to a close family member or friend.
4. Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event, which does not apply to exposure through media such as television, movies, or pictures.
- Persistent re-experiencing of the event through dreams, thoughts, perceptions, illusions or flashbacks.
- Avoidance of people, thoughts and places that directly correlate with the traumatic event.
- Having negative thoughts, moods or feelings.
- Symptoms must be present for at least a month.
Treatment Options:
Because PTSD symptoms can recur, it’s important to seek professional help. Cognitive behavioral therapy and cognitive processing therapy have been shown to be effective in treatment. NTR Brain Restoration has also been shown to be effective in offering relief from PTSD. Reach out to one of our specialists to discuss whether treatment might be best for your situation.
