What is post-traumatic stress disorder?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in people who have experienced, or witnessed, a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, car crash, physical or sexual assault, war, or threats of harm. PTSD develops in about 1 in 3 people who experience severe trauma.
Symptoms of PTSD include intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, changes in physical and emotional reactions.
People often experience re-living the traumatic event through unwanted and recurring memories, often in the form of vivid images and nightmares, being on high alert without an obvious source of threat nearby and feeling emotionally numb.
People living with PTSD will often experience other mental health problems at the same time.
What is complex PTSD?
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is often developed through ongoing traumatic events or a series of different traumatic events. These events are usually trauma you’re unable to escape from such as torture, slavery, a long period of domestic abuse, or a long period of sexual or physical abuse as a child or adult.
How does post-traumatic stress disorder impact life?
PTSD can affect your ability to work, perform day-to-day activities, or relate to your friends and family since you can come across as uninterested or distant while you try to block out painful memories.
People suffering from the symptoms of PTSD commonly turn to alcohol or other drug use to try to numb themselves and seek relief from the psychological, and sometimes physical, pain of the traumatic event.
PTSD leaves you feeling powerless and scared causing you to want to avoid everyday people, places and things. It can also affect your physical health by altering the way you eat, sleep and react to regular stimulation, such as jumping when the microwave timer beeps. Sufferers will often feel a general sense of apathy, negative thoughts and feelings, loss of memory about the traumatic event, guilt, shame or blame.
Socially it can leave you feeling isolated and alone as you may not feel that those around couldn’t possibly understand what you’re going through.
What treatments are available?
Four interventions are strongly recommended for the treatment of PTSD:
· Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
· Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)
· Cognitive therapy
· Prolonged exposure
Other treatments include:
· Brief eclectic psychotherapy
· Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
· Narrative exposure therapy (NET)
· Medications
Treatment can help you by teaching you skills to address your symptoms, helping you think better about yourself, others and the world, learning ways to cope if any symptoms arise again, and treating other problems often related to traumatic experiences, such as depression, anxiety or misuse/dependency of drugs or alcohol.
Our support team can help you in your everyday life to experience a greater quality of life by ensuring you’re eating healthy, nutritious meals, attending appointments, keeping yourself and home clean and hygienic, as well as accessing the community and rebuilding interpersonal skills.
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