Steve B. Reed
Causes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: PTSD results from a person experiencing an overwhelmingly stressful event that exceeds their coping capacity. We typically associate PTSD with catastrophic events such as war, natural disasters or nearly losing one's life. However, new research in the Netherlands suggests that common but stressful life events can often produce as many PTSD symptoms as incidents that meet the clinical criteria. Characteristics of PTSD include: 1. Exposure to an event in which the person experienced, witnessed or was confronted with the threat of death, serious injury or a threat to their physical well-being.
2. The person's response would also involve intense fear, helplessness or horror.
3. The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced (flashbacks, intrusive memories, nightmares, etc.)
4. The person persistently avoiding anything that they associate with the trauma.
5. Persistent hyper-vigilance, sleep difficulties, irritability, difficulty concentrating or other signs of increased arousal.
6. The disturbance causes impairment or distress in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. (Source: Diagnostic Criteria from the DSM IV) Although this is the formal definition of PTSD, it is my experience that individuals can and do develop symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder from events of a lesser magnitude. Anything that sufficiently overwhelms an individual to the extent that the intensity does not fade is traumatic. If the emotional pain of their experience continues to affect them, then it is traumatic. If we used a scale of 0 to 10, where zero equals no distress and 10 equals the worst distress, anything that still bothers you in the 7 to 10 range is traumatic. This level of intensity does not typically dissipate without an effective psychotherapeutic intervention. (See the "Highly Useful" therapies below.)
Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): If several of the following symptoms are present more than once per month after a trauma, the Anxiety Disorder Association of America recommends that you seek professional help by consulting a mental health professional.
Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can include:
Other symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can include-Headache, fatigue, heart pounding, sweats (especially at night), diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscular aches and pains, easy startle, and frequent urination. (Source: Brian B. Doyle, M.D., Georgetown Medical School) PTSD is a treatable anxiety disorder. Although many people have post traumatic stress syndrome, there is no need to suffer from post traumatic stress in silence. A number of new emerging treatments are helping to ease the burden of trauma and relieve suffering. The following is a list of interventions worth exploring.
Psychotherapy Treatments for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
1. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)-Highly Useful
2. The REMAP process-Highly Useful See research results from the pilot study with trauma survivors at: http://www.psychotherapy-center.com/remap-HRV_research1.html
3. Thought Field Therapy (TFT)-Highly Useful
4. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)-Highly Useful
5. NLP (Trauma & Phobia Technique)-Sometimes Useful
6. Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR)-Sometimes Useful
7. Cognitive Therapy-Most useful after treatment with the therapies above
Exercise: Research shows that exercise is useful in lowering general stress levels and accompanying feelings of Depression-e.g. walking 3 miles in 45 minutes, 6 days per week. Some studies show exercise as effective as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression. Exercise is a useful adjunct in PTSD treatment.
Nutritional Supplements: Some people use nutritional supplements to help the symptoms that can accompany PTSD. Symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance may be responsive to a number of supplements.
1. SAM-e (S-Adenosyl-L-methionine) is sometimes useful in alleviating accompanying depression symptoms.
2. GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) is sometimes useful in easing anxiety symptoms and improving sleep.
3. Inositol is sometimes useful in easing symptoms of depression, anxiety and improving sleep.
Please remember that PTSD is a serious condition that requires professional help. Consult a psychotherapist or physician who has specialized training in trauma treatment. With proper care and access to some of the latest advances in the field, a full recovery is closer than ever before.
About the Author:
Steve B. Reed, LPC, LMSW, LMFT is a psychotherapist who is an expert in the treatment of trauma (PTSD), anxiety attacks and phobias. His practice is in Dallas and he provides phone counseling worldwide. You can reach Steve at 972-997-9955 or http://www.psychotherapy-center.com copyright 2006, Steve B. Reed
