WHAT IS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that develops in some individuals who have experienced a scary, shocking, stressful or dangerous event. PTSD is also called battle fatigue syndrome or shell shock. It is common in women than men.
About 3.5 percent of adults have post-traumatic stress disorder in the United States in a given year and 9 percent of people develop it at some point in their life.
USA displaced veterans include a substantial growing number from the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many suffer away with post traumatic stress disorder and difficulty.
WHAT CAUSES POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)?
Main causes of post-traumatic stress disorder may include —
- Serious health problems, such as being admitted to intensive care unit
- Childbirth experiences, such as losing a baby
- Serious road accidents
- War and conflict
- Torture
- Physical or sexual assault
- Abuse, including childhood or domestic abuse
- Violent personal assaults, such as robbery, mugging or sexual assault
Usually, this disorder isn’t related to situations that are simply upsetting, such as job loss, failing in exams or divorce.
Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop immediately after someone experiences a scary or stressful event, or it can occur weeks, months or even years later.
Disorder is estimated to affect about one in every three people who have a traumatic experience.
But it is not clear exactly why some individuals develop this condition and others don’t.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER?
Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder may include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events, attempts to avoid trauma-related cues, physical or mental distress to trauma-related cues and alterations in how a person thinks and feels.
WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS OF PTSD?
Individuals considered at a higher risk include victims of natural disasters, military personnel and the victims of violent crime.
Persons employed in occupations that expose them to violence or disasters are also at risk.
Other occupations, such as; firefighters, police officers, ambulance personnel, train drivers, health care professionals and journalists are at higher risk.
Individuals, who have had anxiety or depression in their past, are more likely to have the disorder.
Peoples who don’t receive enough support from their families or friends are also at a higher risk of developing PTSD after a traumatic event.
Battle fatigue syndrome or PTSD also involve some genetic factors, such as; parents with mental health problem is thought to increase the chances of developing the condition.
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER?
The main treatments of PTSD include medication and psychotherapy. They are as —
Medication:
Medication of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves —
Antidepressants:
To control the feelings of anxiety and associated symptoms, doctors prescribe certain antidepressant medications to treat post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants.
SSRIs may include Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Luvox and Zoloft and tricyclic antidepressants may include Doxepin and Elavil.
Sometimes, mood stabilizers such as Lamictal and Depakote and atypical antipsychotics such as Abilify and Seroquel are also used.
Blood pressure medicines may also be used to control the symptoms.
Cannabinoids:
Recreational cannabis and its legalization can be driving many individuals to try this treatment option, but the reality is the medical use of cannabis isn’t something new.
The use of this plant for treatment purposes might be traced to ancient times when cannabis was prescribed for digestion problems, pain relief and even psychological disorders.
There are proven health advantages that may be traced to many of the active ingredients which are in marijuana.
Whenever you choose to try medical cannabis, you need to know that it’s available in different forms. The product might be smoked, eaten in an edible version or ingested in pill form.
You may get the product in any form that appeals to you. While to some people the pill makes the process feel more medical, others prefer to smoke it while many more prefer the cannabis added to cookies, brownies or chocolate bars.
Marijuana in pill form is called nabilone or dronabinol. Medical cannabis may be utilized to treat a broad range of diseases like nausea, continual pain, the effects of several progressive diseases as glaucoma and multiple scleroses.
A medical cannabis investment is worth making if you’re suffering from psychological disorders like Post-traumatic stress disorder or post traumatic stress disorder.
Medical cannabis is usually used when treating patients going through chemotherapy as it can help to ease vomiting and nausea.
It’s also effective in reducing psychological stress by treating mood disorders, sleep disorders and post traumatic stress disorder.
Psychotherapy:
It is sometimes also known as talk therapy. This medical therapy can occur one-on-one or in a group. Psychotherapy usually lasts six to twelve weeks, but it can last longer.
Studies reveal that support from families and friends can be a great advantage for fast recovery.
There are three main psychological therapies used to treat people with this disorder —
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to help manage issues by changing how someone feel, think and behave.
This therapy helps individuals make sense of bad memories. Sometimes they remember the event other than what it happened.
They may feel shame or guilty about something that was not their fault. The therapist helps them look at what happened in a realistic way.
Exposure Therapy:
Exposure therapy helps individuals to face and control their fears. It gradually exposes the people to trauma they experienced in a safe way.
It normally uses writing, imagining or visiting the place where the event happened.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR):
It is a form of psychotherapy studied and developed by Francine Shapiro.
She had noticed that while thinking about disturbing memories herself, her eyes were moving rapidly. When she brought her eye’s movements under control while thinking, the thoughts were less distressing.
This type of psychotherapy is a relatively new treatment that’s been found to decrease the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Therapy involves making side-to-side eye movements, usually by following the movement of therapist’s finger, while recalling the traumatic incident.
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