Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
PTSD is a psychological condition caused by a traumatic event that continues to bother your day to day life. It is a type of anxiety disorder and is common in people who work in the armed forces, emergency services, have experienced a natural disaster or have been abused. People with PTSD often suffer with flashbacks, nightmares and inescapable memories of the event. PTSD is common, 1 in 3 people develop it after experiencing a traumatic experience.
What are the causes for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
It’s normal to feel upset and after a traumatic event, but in most people these feeling improve naturally over a few weeks or months. There are many events that can cause PTSD such as war, natural disaster, witnessing a death, being mugged or sexually abused and any traumatic experiences in your childhood.
What are the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
In most cases, the symptoms of PTSD develop soon after the traumatic event. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety and physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, difficulty sleeping or concentrating and dizziness.
How is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder treated?
It is important that if you experience the symptoms of PTSD that you go and speak to a specialist psychiatrist doctor who will be able to help you control the symptoms. The doctor will want to talk to you in depth about your symptoms, you may not require further treatment and the doctor may want to ‘watch and wait’ to see if your symptoms improve. If they don’t you may need to have psychotherapy, this involves talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and/or medication.
