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Learn about Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder!
Knowledge is the key to many things and that is
especially true when it comes to your health and life!
Stress is a normal response of the body
and mind. Everyone feels stress when gearing up to deal with major life events
(such as marriage, divorce, births, deaths, or starting or ending a job), or
handling everyday hassles like arguments, financial headaches, deadlines, or
traffic jams.
Physical signs of a stress
response include:
- rapid heartbeat
- headaches
- stomach aches
- muscle tension
- pain
Emotional signs of stress can be
both positive and upsetting:
- excitement
- exhilaration
- joy
- frustration
- nervousness
- discouragement
- anxiety
- anger
However repeated stress
drains and wears down your body and mind. Stress is like starting a car engine
or pushing the accelerator pedal to speed up. If you keep "revving" up the car
you'll burn out the starter and wear out both the brakes and the engine.
Burnout occurs when repeated stress is
not balanced by healthy time outs for genuine relaxation. Stress is not the
problem, if you manage it by having an emotional "cruise control" so you can
smoothly and calmly enter or leave life's fast lane.
Most people who are exposed to a
traumatic, stressful event experience some of the symptoms of PTSD in the days
and weeks following exposure, but the symptoms generally decrease over time and
eventually disappear. However, about 8% of men and 20% of women go on to develop
PTSD, and roughly 30% of these individuals develop a chronic form that persists
throughout their lifetimes.
Three clusters of symptoms are
associated with PTSD:
Re-experiencing of the traumatic
event:
- Recurring nightmares
- Intrusive daydreams or flashbacks
- Dissociative experiences [is there a less
technical term for this?
- Intensification of symptoms on exposure
to reminders of the event
Avoidance or numbing:
- Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings,
activities, or situations associated with the trauma
- Feelings of detachment or alienation
- Inability to have loving feelings
Hyperarousal:
- Exaggerated startle response
- Insomnia and other sleep disturbances
- Irritability or outbursts of anger
- Physiological reactions to exposure to
reminders of the event
Functional Impairment:
PTSD often results in impairment
of the person's ability to function in social or family situations, including:
- Occupational instability
- Marital problems and divorces
- Discord with family and friends
- Difficulties in parenting
P.T.S.D. is not a characterological disorder. The event(s) triggering these symptoms
actually change both the biochemical and the central nervous system.
Biochemistry
The
bodies of trauma survivors go through alternating times of biochemical extreme
alertness, noticing everything around them. The downside of these chemicals is
the survivor may also feel extremely jumpy, irritable, sensitive and reactive.
Because of this hyperarousal, it may become overwhelming or irritating to be
around others.
This hyperalertness can only be sustained for a certain period
of time. Eventually the body is unable to keep producing the amount of
chemicals needed to sustain those feelings and the survivor becomes numb. At
this point the survivor doesnt even "feel like feeling". Nothing appears to
matter. The survivor becomes depressed. Research is showing that such a
depression is caused by a depletion of the stress hormones.
Both of these
phases alternate and oftentimes are not clearly separated. Naturally both
phases are unpleasant. The survivor, friends and family become confused and
troubled.
Central nervous
system
Because of the
trauma, the survivor is exposed to high levels of "flight or fight" hormones and puts the entire system in an emergency
response mode. When the body is exposed to those stress hormones, the central
nervous system becomes sensitized to those chemicals.
Later, when smaller
amounts of stress hormones are released during a non-traumatic, every day
stress, for the trauma survivor, it becomes much a higher event. Trauma
survivors may become overwhelmed by seemingly insignificant events. The
survivor may feel at the end of capacity to cope with life or relationships. It
may feel so intense that they may find themselves wanting to escape, even from
those they love. Outbursts of anger can become common. The survivor can be
viewed as too sensitive, reactive, touchy or high strung.
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