PTSD Awareness Day
- Vanessa Mukoo
- Jun 27, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 12, 2022
image source: Unsplash
Trauma disorders are mental illnesses that are characterised by a failure to properly heal or recover from a traumatic or terrifying event. Trauma disorders can cause panic attacks, anxiety attacks, and mind-spiralling (overthinking).
June 27 is regarded as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day signifying one of the most common trauma disorders. PTSD is usually developed after experiencing or witnessing a horrifying event or being assaulted. It can cause significant impairment in a person’s life such as leading to flashbacks, nightmares, fear of being assaulted, and avoidance of day-to-day events.
It’s important to note that not everyone who goes through a traumatic event develops PTSD. On the contrary, feelings of guilt, fear, and horror naturally fade within time with the support of family and friends. For some, however, the months or even years following the traumatic event are invaded with intrusive thoughts and reminders of the event.
A diagnosis of PTSD begins with the traumatic incident itself. A person must have been exposed to an event that concerns actual or threatened death, severe injury, or assault. To receive a diagnosis of PTSD, exposure to the event must consist of either directly experiencing the event, witnessing the event happening to someone else, or having recurred or excessive exposure to details of the event. The person re-experiences the event through both intrusive memories and nightmares. Some memories may come back so strikingly that the person feels like they are experiencing the event all over again.
Below are some of the symptoms of PTSD discussed briefly:
Reliving the event: people with PTSD constantly relive the transpired traumatic events through thoughts and memories. These can include nightmares and hallucinations.
Avoiding day-to-day situations: PTSD leads to an immense fear of facing the traumatic event again thus, people tend to avoid natural circumstances to a great deal which hinders human growth.
Negative emotions: these can include talking or thinking badly about loved ones, feeling detached from close relationships, difficulty trying to feel positive emotions, and a lack of interest in activities that a person used to enjoy.
Physical and mental changes: these changes usually refer to self-destructive behaviour such as compromising on sleep (or having trouble sleeping) or excessive drinking. Irritability and anger-outbursts are some common emotional changes.
In order to check for symptoms of PTSD, a doctor will evaluate a person’s medical history and perform a physical exam to rule out the possibility of a physical illness. The patient is, then, referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist that specialises in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses.
What is the prevalence of PTSD in India?
A study published in Sage Journals attempted to measure the prevalence of PTSD and depressive disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
The results demonstrate that “when compared with the National Mental Health Survey of India, 2015-2016, which reported a weighted prevalence of depressive disorders and PTSD in India to be 2.7% and 0.2%, respectively, we found a much higher prevalence of 14.1% and 28.2%”
These figures may or may not be an actual representation of the prevalence of these disorders since many of the cases are not reported or openly talked about due to stigma and unawareness.
What types of treatment are available for PTSD?
Although PTSD is a severe condition, there are treatments available to reduce the emotional and physical stressors that come with the symptoms.
Medication
Various antidepressant medications are used to treat PTSD and anxiety symptoms. The most common ones are SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors). The 4 recommended (and most effective) SSRIs and SNRIs are:
Sertraline (Zoloft)
Paroxetine (Paxil)
Fluoxetine (Prozac)
Venlafaxine (Effexor)
Psychotherapy
Therapy involves teaching the patient several coping strategies to deal with symptoms and complications. It also helps the patient work through the fears associated with their trauma. Some therapeutic orientations that treat PTSD include:
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): this approach helps to root out troublesome behaviours, emotions, and thought patterns.
Psychodynamic therapy: psychodynamic therapy involves the examination of personal values and internal conflicts connected with the traumatic event.
Family therapy: this technique is useful for the family members of the person with PTSD as it helps them understand the disorder and effectively contribute to recovery.
Prolonged exposure therapy: the procedure of this approach involves having the patient relive the traumatic event or exposure to certain objects that causes anxiety. This is usually done in a well-controlled and safe environment. The purpose of this technique is to help the person tackle their fears instead of avoiding them.
All in all, recovery from PTSD is a gradual and slow process. It is important to provide yourself the best care and support system during the healing process.
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