Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms and Treatment

Encountering stressful situations is a part of life. Each person will experience stress differently.. When you feel stressed, part of your built-in survival instinct is activated to help you handle stressful or dangerous situations. The fight-or-flight response mechanism prepares your body to respond appropriately to a given situation.

While this stress mechanism helps to protect us in certain situations, when a person is overwhelmed by a shocking or life-threatening experience, that trauma can have long-lasting effects on an individual’s mental and emotional health. When a person has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) their fight-or-flight mechanism is thrown off, and they are forced to relive the traumatic event through flashbacks and nightmares.

What is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

PTSD is a mental health condition that’s triggered by either experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. That terrifying event may involve the actual or possible threat of death, violence, or serious injury. Shocking or life-threatening experiences happen in different ways, and some of these include:

• War and situations of conflict.
• Significant health challenges such as a life-threatening or chronic illness.
• Experiencing a violent personal assault such as sexual assault or mugging.
• Difficult childbirth experiences.
• Serious motor vehicle accidents.
• Experiencing a natural disaster.
• The sudden death of a loved one.

Individuals affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) had previously been associated with individuals who have been in war zones or had engaged in combat. However, PTSD affects people from all walks of life and ages. For instance, it can affect a child, and more than 8 million Americans who are 18 years and older have PTSD in any given year.

In some cases, PTSD can occur even if someone was not directly involved in the inciting event; they may only know someone close to them who experienced or was threatened by the event, or they have been exposed to graphic details or retellings of the traumatic event.

Nevertheless, the shock induced by the event can make it difficult to function in everyday life because it can disrupt an individual’s relationships as well as their ability to function in work or social settings.

PTSD symptoms may set in at any point, from one month up to years after the traumatic situation or event. However, the symptoms can also set in years after the event when they are triggered by something else.

Signs and symptoms of PTSD

People experience difficult or terrifying things, but not every traumatic event that a person witnesses or experiences develops into PTSD. However, if the symptoms of trauma present themselves repeatedly or over long periods, and if they begin to interfere with your functioning in everyday life, then you may be suffering from PTSD. You should seek out professional medical care for a diagnosis if you suspect you have PTSD.

In addition to research from the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be grouped into several categories: avoidance, reliving, intrusive memories, negative changes in thinking and mood, excessive physical and emotional arousal, flat affect, and young childrens’ reactions or delays. It is important to note that these symptoms can vary over time and from person to person.

Avoidance

Some of the symptoms of Avoidance may include, but are not limited to:

• Avoiding thinking or talking about the traumatic event.
• Avoiding people, places, or activities connected to the traumatic event.

Reliving

The following are some of the symptoms of Reliving:

• Experiencing flashbacks, hallucinations, or nightmares about the event.
• Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again.

Intrusive memories

Some examples of Intrusive memories are:

• Reoccurring, unwanted, and distressing memories about the traumatic event.
• Having disturbing dreams or nightmares about the event.
• Having severe, emotional distress or physical reactions to anything that reminds the individual of the event (triggers).

Negative changes in thinking and mood

Symptoms of Negative changes in thinking and mood may include:

• Having negative thoughts about oneself, other people, and the world.
• Feeling hopeless about the future.
• Memory difficulties including recalling important information about the event.
• Difficulty maintaining close and intimate relationships.
• Feelings of detachment from family and friends.
• Lack of interest in activities once enjoyed.
• Difficulty expressing positive emotions.

Flat effect

• Feeling emotionally numb.

Changes in physical and emotional reactions

• Being easily startled or frightened.
• Always on alert for danger. (Excessive)
• Trouble sleeping/Restlessness.
• Trouble concentrating.
• Increase/Decrease in appetite.
• Self-destructive behaviors (i.e. Excessive drinking alcohol).
• Irritability, angry outbursts, or aggressive behavior.
• Overwhelming sense of guilt or shame.

Young children’s reactions or delays

• Re-enacting or rehearsing the traumatic event through play.
• Bad dreams or nightmares that may include certain aspects of the event.

These symptoms can become more or less intense over time. When you’re feeling stressed or when you encounter reminders of your experience, for instance, the symptoms may intensify. Loud sounds like a car backfiring or hearing about another person’s assault may trigger and intensify symptoms.

Diagnosis and goals of treatment for PTSD

PTSD requires a proper diagnosis from a medical professional. To diagnose PTSD, the doctor will use the criteria set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as part of the process. They will quite likely also perform a physical examination which will look for any medical issues that could explain your symptoms.

This will eliminate other potential sources of those symptoms. Additionally, your doctor will perform a psychological evaluation which will address your symptoms and explore the event(s) that led up to them.

If you have repeatedly experienced traumatic events or situations such as severe abuse, neglect, or violence, a doctor may diagnose you with Complex PTSD. Complex PTSD has similar symptoms to PTSD, but it can be more severe especially if the trauma was experienced early in life.

Part of the healing process is to find help through Trauma Counseling. Such counseling can be difficult, but it helps. Your counselor will work with you to understand your story and design a treatment plan that works for your unique situation and that affords you the greatest chance of success.

The goals of the treatment options for trauma and PTSD include the following:

• Rebuilding a positive outlook of yourself, others, and the world
• To provide you with the tools and skills to manage the symptoms
• Improving or treating the symptoms and other issues related to the traumatic experience such as anxiety, depression, and unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance abuse

Getting help through treatment options available for PTSD

Your counselor will seek to help you overcome PTSD using various interventions and medications. They may recommend family or group therapy in place of individual therapy so that you have the support of your loved ones on your journey.

Other therapies that may be used include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is a type of talk therapy that focuses on the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behavior. CBT and its variants like Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Cognitive Therapy help an individual recognize negative patterns of thinking of themselves and others that can immobilize them and prevent them from functioning well in daily life.

Another effective therapy that your counselor may make use of is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, which encourages the patient to focus on the traumatic memory as they simultaneously experience bilateral stimulation (such as watching or listening to something). This allows the memory to be reprocessed so that healing can begin.

Other therapies that may be useful include:

Stress Inoculation Training (SIT), which pays attention to how you deal with the stress from the traumatic event. SIT can impart skills such as breathing techniques and muscle relaxation to help relax your body and mind. This helps you in dealing with symptoms of PTSD.

Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy, which seeks to adjust emotions of guilt and shame one may have about the event

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), which helps you develop a meaningful life narrative that provides context to your traumatic experiences.

In addition to talk therapy, medication may also be prescribed to address the symptoms of PTSD. By addressing the chemical imbalance in the brain which triggers the fight-or-flight response too quickly or in situations where it’s not warranted, medication can reduce the intensity of these symptoms or make them more manageable.

Some medications that are typically prescribed include paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft) which interact with and affect the brain chemicals related to anxiety and fear, such as serotonin and norepinephrine.

Depending on how an individual reacts to their medication and the nature of their PTSD other medications such as Antidepressants, Beta-blockers or Antipsychotics may be prescribed. It is important to have realistic expectations of what medication can do. Additionally, medication takes time to have a significant effect, and part of getting there is communicating well with your doctor about what works best for you and has the fewest side effects.

Christian counseling For PTSD

Recovering and finding healing from trauma is a long journey. This journey is best undertaken with help from someone who understands how our bodies, minds, emotions, and spirit are affected by trauma and impact daily functioning. Having someone come alongside you in your journey of healing helps make the journey that much easier. Your counselor will work with you, providing you with empathetic, patient, and compassionate support.

If you or a loved one have PTSD, please do not hesitate to reach out for help from a Christian counselor.