Post-Traumatic Stress disorder | Symptoms

Life is the combination of Ups and Downs, and being happy and sad is its component. Sometimes you might feel anxiety and depression, but these all are short-term. If you experience these emotions for a long time, you may have depression or post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a common neurosis that develops after sudden shocks, trauma, family history with stress, long-term depression, and abuse; sexual, emotional, and physical. It is rising day by day because of the rising crime rate, accidents, hostile behaviour jeopardise, and harassment. The repeated symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety and depression, and uncontrollable negative thoughts (in the extreme case the patient thinks of a suicide attempt). Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder may get disturbed by events that may not ever happen or happened in the late past. This disorder pushes them to isolation and many other mental health diseases (anxiety, depression, headache, etc.) and health disorders (malnutrition, migraine, digestive problems, etc.)

Every person faces post-traumatic stress disorder at one stage of their life. However, the intensity of symptoms may vary from person to person. This disorder is divided into four categories depending upon what sort of thoughts trigger the patient. Post-traumatic stress disorder develops other physiological ailments in its victims, such as primary headaches, abnormal hormonal balance, severe anxiety, and other stress-related disorders. Some people confuse depression and anxiety with post-traumatic stress disorder, but they are not the same. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder is common nowadays. Every 7 out of 100 women and 4 out of 100 men are victims of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Women are the more victims of post-traumatic stress disorder since they fall prey to domestic, physical, sexual, and emotional harassment more than men and children. 

A post-traumatic stress disorder can go away on its own, but if the case is severe, consult a physician for quick and excellent treatment consult a psychiatrist. Post-traumatic stress disorder is not fatal, but long-term stress may trigger an individual to commit suicide.

Factors causing Post-traumatic Stress Disorder:

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a physiological issue common in humans as well as animals. It is caused by many factors that may affect humans at any stage of their life. Some recover from this disorder in a week, and others take more than a month to recover through it wholly. Some of the factors that develop post-traumatic stress disorder in a person are following:

• Abuse; Sexual, Physical, or Domestic

• Sudden Trauma

• Mental illness

• Serious Health Issue

• Long-term stress or depression

• Accident

• Family disturbance

• Harassment; Mental, physical

The female experiences several factors that may result in post-traumatic stress disorder, such as; miscarriage, disturbed menstrual cycle, or harassment-emotional; physical, sexual, domestic. 

Common symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:

Some of the common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are following:

• Recollecting the old memories

• Short temperament

• Symptoms of anxiety

• Vivid flashbacks

• Digestive illness

• Sleeplessness

• Nightmares

• Suicidal thoughts

• Avoidance

• Irritability

• Disturbed sentiments

The person who has post-traumatic stress disorder has all the above or some of the common symptoms.

The intensity of symptoms:

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder vary from person to person, depending upon their mental strength and environment. Some patients recover from PTSD smoothly when they face any traumatic incident. Some can not handle their situations and put up with acute stress disorder. In some cases, complicated post-traumatic stress disorder occurs, which draws them into isolation and self silence. Patients avoid social gatherings and interactions in this condition.

A severe post-traumatic stress disorder is when a patient enters into complex and comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder. This condition happens when a person suffers from severe and chronic stress for a long time and is under great mental depression.

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms vary from person to person, depending upon what sort of trauma or stress they faced. They have been divided into the four main categories mentioned below.

1. Negative cognitions and mood swings

The person who suffers from general or complex post-traumatic stress disorder cannot learn the essential aspects of the traumatic event, and they feel bad at themselves. Negative thinking encompasses them badly, and they blame themselves in every circumstance. Victims start hating and avoiding other people they love and admire. They restrict themselves from taking part in their exciting activities that they once enjoyed. They lose interest in positive events and their hobbies. They weep, yell, replay the old toxic memories, blame others, spread negativity, share hopelessness, and demotivate themselves every time. Some of the common negative thoughts that come to mind of the person who has PTSD are:

• Distorted beliefs

• Hopelessness

• Sadness 

• Ongoing horror, anger, and stress

• Isolation

• Lost interest in life

• Suicidal thoughts

• Emotionally numb

2. Avoiding

A person who has post-traumatic stress disorder starts to avoid the individuals, places, things, and words that make them remember the trauma. The events that caused them trauma hurt them and make them deeply stressed. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder outburst badly when the victim revises the traumatic event. That's why they avoid all these conditions to be calm. For example, when they hear the news of sexual or physical abuse, they start relating it to themselves, which completely devastates their mental state. They avoid all these scenarios that remind them of the tragedy. Therefore, they avoid listening to distracting news, traumatic incidents, or any hurtful events. Some of the common symptoms of avoidance are listed below:

• Struggle to avoid people, places, and events that put them under stress

• Resist thinking about some events and thoughts

Avoiding a traumatic object is relaxing for the victim, but it cuts them off from the people and activities that relish them.

3. Reliving

A person who is the victim of post-traumatic stress disorder relives the events they faced. They feel distressed. This reliving reminds them of the trauma, and they re-experience the event encountered. Reliving the trauma puts them under great mental distress. Some of the common symptoms of reliving are: 

• Intrusive memories

• Flashbacks

• Nightmares

• Mental illness

• Severe physical reactions

4. Increased arousal

Increased arousal is the primary symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. Fight and flight is the normal reaction of the body in case of stress. Still, hyperarousal is the damaging action of the body if a traumatic event lasts longer, such as sexual and physical harassment, terrorist attack, kidnapping, childhood abuse, or a loved one's death. The victim's anxiety and stress levels are incredibly high, and they remain highly alert and over the edge all the time. They become sensitive to things and overreact to minor scenes, and are easily agitated. This symptom is more pronounced in children who have encountered physical or sexual abuse. They become short-tempered, mentally disturbed, and emotionally numb because of hormonal imbalance caused by the mental illness. Some of the common symptoms of increased arousal are:

• Insomnia

• Irritability

• Severe anxiety

• Aggressiveness

• Problem to be the focus

• Negative thoughts

• Disturb sentiments

• Overreaction

• Self-destruction

Long-term post-traumatic stress disorder causes several other mental health disorders that jeopardize the victim's psychological and physical health and ruin their social life.

Some of the mental disorders caused by Post-traumatic stress disorder are following:

• Headaches, including migraine attacks

• Schizophrenia

• Anorexia

• Narcolepsy

• Narcissism

• Insomnia

• Hormonal imbalance

• Depression and anxiety

• Emotional numbing

• Panic disorder

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Is post-traumatic stress disorder the same as depression and anxiety?

Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are not the same things. Depression is a chronic mood disorder that lasts for two weeks or more, but it is post-traumatic stress disorder if the condition is prolonged.

The similarity in symptoms:

• Insomnia

• Tiredness

• Aggression

• Emotional Numbness

The difference in symptoms:

People with post-traumatic stress disorder develop stress and anxiety after a specific traumatic event. In contrast, people with depression develop anxiety and stress as a result of various unpleasant life incidents.

Treatment of Post-traumatic stress disorder:

Post-traumatic stress disorder goes away on its own mainly, but if the symptoms persist for a long time, you must arrange a family and friends meeting and consult a physician or psychiatrist. Usually, healthcare workers adopt the following six treatment method to draw a victim from post-traumatic stress disorder:

• Family and Friends Therapy

• Cognitive Processing Therapy

• Prolonged Exposure Therapy

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

• Stress Inoculation Training

• Medications