Following a harrowing, distressing, or painful traumatic incident such as war or terror attack or violence, rape or sexual assault, accident, natural disaster such as an earthquake, or detecting a life-threatening condition, it is natural and inevitable to be upset, anxious, gloomy, frightened and detached. After experiencing stress or trauma our nervous system reacts with a fight-or-flight response in the form of physiological symptoms as well as psychological issues that fade away once the danger is lifted. But what if these feelings don’t dwindle and persist for long? If so, it leads to a psychological form of suffering, a kind of mental illness known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In PTSD the nervous system is ‘stuck’ i.e., unable to return to its normal state of equilibrium and finds it extremely tough to move on from the traumatic incident.
PTSD usually gets triggered by ‘external or internal triggers’ that hark back to the original traumatic occurrence. The symptoms of PTSD may last for months or years and include intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, physical sensations, insomnia, hypervigilance or ‘red alert’, aggressiveness, alienated, feelings of guilt and shame, and cognitive problems like disturbed memory, focus, and attention. The consequences of PTSD can be widespread, demolishing, and debilitating to one’s mental and physical health, work, and relationships and may even lead to substance abuse, anxiety/panic attacks, or depression.
Treatment
Post-traumatic stress disorder treatment can help you regain a sense of control over your life. The primary treatment is psychotherapy, but can also include medication. Combining these treatments can help improve your symptoms 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
• Treating other problems often related to traumatic experiences, such as depression, anxiety, or misuse of alcohol or drugs
You don’t have to try to handle the burden of PTSD on your own.
Coping and support
If stress and other problems caused by a traumatic event affect your life, see your doctor or mental health professional. You can also take these actions as you continue with treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder:
• Follow your treatment plan. Although it may take a while to feel the benefits of therapy or medications, treatment can be effective, and most people do recover. Remind yourself that it takes time. Following your treatment plan and routinely communicating with your mental health professional will help move you forward.
• Learn about PTSD. This knowledge can help you understand what you’re feeling, and then you can develop coping strategies to help you respond effectively.
• Take care of yourself. Get enough rest, eat a healthy diet, exercise and take time to relax. Try to reduce or avoid caffeine and nicotine, which can worsen anxiety.
• Don’t self-medicate. Turning to alcohol or drugs to numb your feelings isn’t healthy, even though it may be a tempting way to cope. It can lead to more problems down the road, interfere with effective treatments and prevent real healing.
• Break the cycle. When you feel anxious, take a brisk walk or jump into a hobby to re-focus.
• Stay connected. Spend time with supportive and caring people — family, friends, faith leaders, or others. You don’t have to talk about what happened if you don’t want to. Just sharing time with loved ones can offer healing and comfort.
• Consider a support group. Ask your mental health professional for help finding a support group, or contact veterans’ organizations or your community’s social services system. Or look for local support groups in an online directory.
13 ways to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder
