A condition with many faces: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
By Dr. Monty Nelson, Chartered Psychologist
Do you (or someone you know) struggle with symptoms of irritability, concentration problems, or problems with trusting others? These feelings can be associated with a condition known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). People often think of PTSD as only associated with soldiers who return home after experiencing conflict or war. The reality is that many people can develop PTSD. However, its symptoms can be wide ranging, and can appear similar to other conditions.
PTSD is a collection of psychological consequences that follow a terrifying or disturbing event, where the person feels threatened or overwhelmed, and feels that they are about to sustain death or serious injury. Sometimes even witnessing an event that involves the injury or death of someone else can also be quite traumatizing. Many events can be quite traumatic, and can result in fear, helplessness, or horror and can include experiencing or witnessing physical attacks, sexual assaults, torture, floods, car accidents, or the diagnosis of a severe illness. In PTSD, the symptoms last for more than a month, disrupt work and social relationships, and can occur within weeks or even years after the event has occurred.
The symptoms of PTSD can be quite varied, but include the following three areas:
A persistent re-experiencing of the event
- flashbacks or dreams of the event
- distress when encountering reminders of the event
Avoidance of the stimuli associated with the trauma, and numbing of responsiveness
- efforts to avoid thinking about or having feelings regarding the trauma; sometimes people keep themselves overly busy, or resort to substance abuse in order to avoid having to experience the thoughts or emotions associated with the event
- efforts to avoid places or people that produce reminders of the event.
- feeling detached or isolated from others, and having very few emotions
Persistent symptoms of increased stress
- Problems falling asleep
- Being very suspicious of others or the environment
- concentration problems, including dissociative/daydream-like states
- severe anger and irritability
Treatment can be very successful, but the client must first be in a safe, stable environment with prevention from further trauma. Treatment usually includes a combination of psychological interventions and medications for anxiety or depression, as well as having good friends and social support. Psychological interventions often involve education regarding PTSD, some discussion of the events that occurred, and developing new ways to think about the events. Psychological interventions also usually involve learning new skills and behaviours in order to cope more effectively.
For a referral to a Psychologist who treats PTSD please call the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta at (780) 424-0294, or toll free at 1-888-424-0297.
