Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is caused by exposure to some form of traumatic event including natural disasters, violence such as abuse, murder, mugging, torture, accidents, war, being taken hostage or kidnapped. Individuals who are victims of, have life-threatening experiences, or witness some form of trauma experienced by another (such as seeing a murdered body, watching a crime taking place, etc) are likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

This disorder is characterized by severe anxiety when reminded of the event which in turn, brings about disruption in the individual’s day-to-day functions. Victims also experience sleep-cycle alternations, difficulties in concentrating, irritability, and lack of awareness of time and space. When encountered with a thought, feeling, individual, object, or image that reminds them of the incident, they may appear severely agitated. For example, a person who witnessed a murder on a street may avoid that street or in severe cases, refuse to go out, by all means.

The response patterns in children differ slightly from the typical diagnostic criteria indicated below. Young children may engage in repetitive play that is themed around the incident and in older children, the fear may be generalized. They may have dreams of vague content that may not be directly related to the trauma itself.

Exposure to life-threatening events causes an overactive adrenaline response that arouses deep neurological reaction patterns within the body’s central nervous system. The complex response mechanism activated by the body due to this continues to prevail for a while and brings about symptoms of PTSD. Thus, individuals who are generally sensitive or have a genetic basis for weak sensory-response cycles, are more likely to go through deeper anxiety, in comparison to a person with a high stress-vulnerability level.

PTSD Symptoms and Types

The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder include severe anxiety when exposed to cues related to the incident, dreaming, having flashbacks and reexperiencing the event, detaching from society, and severe impairment in daily functioning. Victims also develop strong negative traits and have distorted thinking patterns. The symptoms must exist for at least a month, in order to diagnose a person as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

If the duration of the below diagnostic symptoms is less than three months, then it is considered as acute stress disorder and if the duration lasts for over three months, it is considered as chronic stress disorder. In addition, in some cases, the symptoms may start showing after a period of regular functioning after the trauma. This form of anxiety with delayed onset is often seen in war victims and victims of natural disasters.

PTSD Treatment and Care

In order to minimize the occurrence of PTSD in war, violence, natural disasters, and preventive measures such as psychological debriefing are essential. People who are most likely to be exposed to such situations must be educated about the incidents and the likelihood of the occurrence of PTSD symptoms. Early detection, after some trauma, where all victims are screened for their psychological stability is also effective in order to reduce the incidence of anxiety. Special forms of training should be given to soldiers, firefighters, rescue workers, doctors nurses, etc. who come into direct contact with trauma. Psychotherapy interventions for those who are experiencing PTSD include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and medication.