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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Description  Also known as PTSD  A severe anxiety problem that can result from an emotional or shocking experience  About 3.6% of Americans (5.2 million people)  Symptoms usually start to appear within 3 months of traumatic event  Some can be cured in as little as 6 months, some much longer  Other anxiety disorders, co-occurring depression, or alcohol/drug abuse often come with PTSD  Another factor is responding to certain incidents with extreme fear, vulnerability, and terror.

Causes  Can arise from war, natural disasters, dangerous accidents, or life-threatening personal assaults  Eg. Rape, mugging, shooting, earthquake, military combat, car accident, or a plane crash  It can occur in any age, including childhood wvarates.com /va-loan- blog/wp- content/uploa ds/2010/08/p tsd-post- traumatic- stress- disorder.jpg

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Symptoms  Symptoms usually begin within three months of the event, but in some cases it could be years before they surface.  The strength of the symptoms will vary from person to person.

Three Categories  Re-experiencing the event  Avoidance and emotional numbing  Changes in sleep pattern EgiI/AAAAAAAAAH0/oV9JASef7Ug/s1600/ChildSt ress2.jpg , ,2/stock-photo-one-depressed-person-stands- lonely-apart-from-the-group jpg ww.cons umersre searchc ncl.org/ Healthc are/Men tal_Heal th/image s/j gif

Re-experiencing  Dreams or nightmares  Flash backs can be caused by things like a triggering smell, sound or image.  Re-experiencing an traumatic event in the mind can cause distress, excessive sweating and the increase of heart rate.

Avoidance and Emotional  Withdraw from friends and family  Avoid situations which remind of the trauma.  They don’t enjoy life as usual  Extreme guilt  Disassociative state  Depression

Disassociative state  In rare cases the person acts and reacts as if they are living through the experience again. This can last for anywhere from five minutes to several days.  Insomnia and difficulty sleeping  Can lead to aggression  Difficulty concentrating and finishing tasks Changes in sleep pattern giants.com/wp- content/uploads/ 2009/12/Insomni a.jpg

Treatments & Therapies  Cognitive behavioural therapy  Exposure therapy  Medicine: known as SSRI’s or anti- depressants. They relieve depression, and anxiety. When you have depression you may not have enough of a chemical in your brain, SSRI’s raise the level of serotonin in your brain.  Treatment helps people feel in more control of their life

Cognitive behavioural therapy  You are gradually exposed to thoughts about the traumatic event that you experienced. Through this therapy you identify upsetting thoughts about the trauma that are distorted.

Exposure therapy  The purpose of exposure therapy is to have less fear of your memories.  The idea behind exposure therapy is to learn about your fears, thoughts, and to focus on situations that remind you of your traumatic event.  Your therapist will use techniques known as desensitization, and flooding.

Other Treatments  Group therapy  Psychodynamic psychology  Family therapy Each of these therapies affect people differently. ing.com/images/group.ther apy.st.charles.jpg

Sources      treatment/?src=MSN&kwrd=post%20traumatic%20stress%20disorder&subid=Canada\ treatment/?src=MSN&kwrd=post%20traumatic%20stress%20disorder&subid=Canada\  wlA wlA  Canada.com,. (2010). Canada.com. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2010, from MediaRecource  incorperated, Canada. Web site:   HIT Lab,. (2010). VR Treatment for Post-traumtic Stress Disorder. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2010, from HIT lab, Washington. Web site: /image003.jpg&imgrefurl= J- ExbP6eMuFWuo=&h=312&w=444&sz=11&hl=en&start=3&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=vbUK4Y 7IWvliZM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpost%2Btraumatic%2Bstress%2Bdisorde r%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en- ca%26tbs%3Disch:1 /image003.jpg&imgrefurl= J- ExbP6eMuFWuo=&h=312&w=444&sz=11&hl=en&start=3&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=vbUK4Y 7IWvliZM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpost%2Btraumatic%2Bstress%2Bdisorde r%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en- ca%26tbs%3Disch:1  CBC,. (2009). The traumatic effects of extreme stress. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2010, from CBC, Canada. Web site:  Canadian Mental Health Association,. (2010). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2010, from Canadian mental health association. Web site:  