Many people who go through traumatic events have difficulty adjusting and coping for a while. But with time and taking care of yourself, such traumatic reactions usually get better. In some cases, though, the symptoms can get worse or last for months or even years. Sometimes they may completely shake up your life. In a case such as this, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an emotional illness. It is classified as an anxiety disorder which develops as a result of a life threatening, shocking, disturbing, painful or unsafe experience. War veterans brought Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to public attention (National Institute of Health, 2009). However, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can begin from traumatic events such as rape, child abuse, car accidents, plane crashes, and natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods. Feeling scared or stressed is a major issue even when one is no longer in danger. People who are members of the military place themselves at high risk for trauma exposure and are at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a growing issue. This disorder can occur at any age and affects about 7.7 million American adults (National Institute of Health, 2009). Currently, it is unknown whether racial and ethnic differences exist in the prevalence of post traumatic stress disorder, exposure to traumatic events, development of post traumatic stress disorder among exposed individuals, or treatment seeking among people with post traumatic stress disorder (Roberts, A.L., Gilman, S.E. Breslau, J., Breslau, N. Koenen, K.C., 2011).
Anyone can get post traumatic stress disorder at any age. Children and teens have extreme reactions to trauma, and their symptoms are not exactly the same as adults. Usually, children wet the bed, forget how or unable to talk, act out the scary event during playtime, and cling to a parent or other adult. At times, the symptoms may appear out of the blue or just triggered by something that reminds one of the original traumatic events (National Institute of Health, 2009). The symptoms can come suddenly, gradually or overtime. Most post traumatic stress disorder sufferers relieve the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep (National Institute of Health, 2009). The flashbacks consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings. Doctors who have experience with helping people with mental illnesses can diagnose post traumatic stress disorder. To be diagnosed, a person must have all of the three main types of symptoms for one month. The three main types of symptoms include re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoiding reminders of the trauma, and increased anxiety and emotional arousal. More specifically, the symptoms include upsetting memories of the event, suicidal thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, feeling alienated and alone, inability to remember important aspects of the trauma, loss of interest in activities or life in general, feeling detached from others, difficulty concentrating, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and irritability or outbursts of anger.
It is very important to seek help for post traumatic stress disorder because early treatment is better, the symptoms can change your family’s life, and post traumatic stress disorder can be related to other health problems (National Institute of Health, 2009). Symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder may get worse. Dealing with them now might help stop them from getting worse in the future. Finding out more about what treatments work, where to look for help, and what kind of questions to ask can make it easier to get help and lead to better outcomes. Seeking help will improve family life and ones physical health because studies have shown a relationship between post traumatic stress disorder and heart trouble.
Although post traumatic stress disorder does affect war veterans, post traumatic stress disorder can