What does someone with PTSD act like?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that is often triggered by experiencing or witnessing a horrible event such as sexual violence, a natural disaster, serious injury, war, or being threatened with death. Many people with PTSD have difficulty coping with their feelings and intrusive symptoms, such as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Fortunately, with the help of a therapist who is trained in counseling PTSD patients and medical therapies, people with PTSD can get better.

PTSD not only affects the sufferer but the people in their lives, such as friends, family members, and coworkers.  Loved ones may also have difficulty understanding how to help or support someone with PTSD.

The symptoms of PTSD often interfere with the person’s day-to-day functioning. Most often, the person living with PTSD will exhibit:

●    Being panicking when reminded of the trauma
●    Angry reactions that seem to come on suddenly
●    Extreme alertness, or 'hypervigilance'
●    Lack of sleep or sleep disturbances
●    Irritability
●    Emotional distance in relationships
●    Aggressive behavior
●    Being more easily startled
●    Avoidance of places, people, and situations
●    Auditory and visual hallucinations
●    Memory issues
●    Difficulty concentrating
●    Inability to articulate

PTSD Can Be Different For Everyone

There are a number of human emotions and responses to traumatic situations based on a person’s upbringing and culture. How a person responds to a traumatic event also depends on what the event was. A veteran who has fought for their country may be triggered by different stimuli than a person who develops PTSD after a catastrophic earthquake.

A person suffering from this disorder may deny that they have PTSD and not seek therapy for years. Thus, they turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Some coping mechanisms, such as working out or dedicating oneself to school or work, may be mistaken by loved ones as “being back to normal” and may not consider such obsessions a sign of PTSD. Because such qualities are often mistaken as “positive” traits, it can delay a person recognizing their PTSD and thus delay their treatment.

However, PTSD could look different for another individual. Rather than being overly hard-working and articulate, they may have difficulty keeping track of work, bills, their finances, and their families. They may become more forgetful, avoid friends and loved ones out of embarrassment, and seem more distant even when around them.

There Is Hope

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) added PTSD to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) in 1980, paving a new way for the identification and treatment of sufferers. Since its inclusion in the DSM, millions of patients, from sexual assault survivors to veterans, have been able to successfully seek help for their symptoms and move forward with their lives.

The PTSD Group, which is led by a double board-certified pain management/physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, and a board-certified emergency room physician, say that if a person gets help right away with the right therapies, they recover within a matter of weeks or months. People living with PTSD have medical options available to them in addition to talk therapy, such as stellate ganglion block (SGB) treatment. If you or a loved one are suffering from PTSD, then it’s worth it to yourself and your future to learn more about these life-changing therapies.
 

This is a guest blog entry.