PTSD and Trauma- Hand in Hand

Post-TraumaticStress Disorder or PTSD and Trauma disorders go hand in hand.  These are debilitating mental health disorders which follow experiencing or seeing a traumatic or tragic or frightening event in one’s life.  People with these disorders will usually experience recurrent frightening thoughts and memories of the ordeal and feel emotionally numbed from the situation.

Once referred to as “shell shock” or battle fatigue, PTSD was first brought to the attention of the public by soldiers returning from battle.  However, either disorder can develop from experiencing any number of traumatic things.  These can include rape, kidnapping, torture, violent attacks, earthquakes, fire, flood, or being held captive.  The event that triggers PTSD and trauma can be something which threatened a person’s life or the life of someone close to them.

People with PTSD and trauma disorder will repeatedly relive the situation in the form of nightmares and disturbing recollections of the experience.  The nightmares or recurrent thoughts may come and go intermittently and a person could be free from them for days, weeks, months or years at a time.  However, some individuals may experience these memories on a consistent basis for no particular reason.

PTSD and trauma can cause sleep disturbances, depression, emotional detachment and numbness and some individuals may easily be startled.  The disorder can also cause people to lose interest in things they used to enjoy and they may have issues with showing and feeling affection for others.  People with PTSD can be irritable, more aggressive than in the past and it could lead to violence.

PTSD can happen at any age and even during childhood.  The disorder can be accompanied by anxiety, depression and substance abuse.  It can make people have trouble holding a job or socializing can be extremely difficult.  In general, the symptoms of PTSD can seem to get worse if the event that triggered the disorder was caused by a person and not a tragic event such as a flood or fire.

Ordinary things and events can seem to pull the person back to the traumatic memory and it can trigger flashbacks and cause horrible images to pop up on the individual’s mind.  A flashback may make the sufferer lose touch with reality and reenact the event for a period of seconds or hours, but it can last for days in some of the most extreme cases.  A person experiencing a flashback, which can happen through images, sounds, smells, or feelings, will usually believe the event is happening to them all over again.

PTSD and trauma disorders can be treated and it is usually done through using a combination of therapy and medications to control the symptoms of the disorder.  People with PTSD should seek out help because if not, the situation can become all-consuming and take over their life completely.

If you or someone you love is suffering from PTSD or trauma disorder and you are thinking of seeking help, the time to act is now.  Please contact us at the California AddictionNetwork

and talk to us about your situation and let us help you receive the treatment you need, so you can recover and get back to living a healthy and happier life.