Post-traumatic stress manifests itself in three groups of symptoms: intrusion, avoidance and hyperstimulation. For a person to be diagnosed with this problem, various conditions must be met. These include the persistence of these symptoms over a certain period of time. But also, the extent of the consequences of these symptoms on social and professional life.

Fortunately, there are a number of treatment options available for those who show signs of such a disorder. These include psychotherapy and medication. Let’s take a look.

Memories that affect quality of life

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that occurs after a traumatic event. This phenomenon manifests itself in a witness or victim of a disaster (natural, accidental or deliberate). It haunts them, affecting their personality and health. The symptoms then lead to other ailments, such as :

Depression;
Fatigue;
Anger, anxiety;
Alcoholism;
Addiction.

PTSD is a disorder that can significantly degrade a sufferer’s quality of life. Nevertheless, it is possible to cure the symptoms.

What can cause this disorder?

Generally speaking, the causes of post-traumatic stress disorder are limited to dramatic, traumatic events. For example, a crash, a shooting or the collapse of a building. Post-traumatic stress disorder can also be observed in people who have experienced war. Or in people who have tragically lost loved ones.

The disorder can also arise from other situations. On the face of it, it’s tempting to say that these are less important than the first. But they can leave just as deep a mark on victims. It all depends on the sensitivity of the subject.

For example, psychological, physical or sexual abuse and violence can lead victims to develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

Similarly, a bad childhood, mistreatment or family conflicts can influence certain people and multiply the risk of them developing such an illness. In this respect, PTSD remains a delicate subject, since the child is confronted with a personality disorder.

In short, there are many different reasons why a person may suffer from PTSD.

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

Psychiatrists have identified 3 groups of symptoms that characterize the disorder that follows a traumatic event. These are :

Intrusion;
Avoidance;
Hyperstimulation.

FIRST SIGN OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: INTRUSION
Intrusion is a symptom determined by the incessant return of the patient’s traumatic memories. They haunt the patient’s memory. He relives the event in question in his innermost being. And with the same sensations and fears he experienced at the time of the incident.

Unable to control himself at all, he sometimes indulges in deviant acts to make himself feel better. Examples include illicit drug abuse and alcoholism.

SECOND SYMPTOM OF PTSD: THE AVOIDANCE SYMPTOM
The second sign of post-traumatic stress disorder is called avoidance. This symptom manifests itself in the sufferer as withdrawal. The sufferer withdraws from the presence of any people or situations that might remind him or her of the disaster.

From then on, they isolate themselves, having difficulty convincing themselves that the tragedy has already passed. His/Her emotional life becomes fragile, with feelings of anger, sadness, indifference, anxiety and shame.

He/She may even blame him/herself and feel guilty, especially if he/she was the only survivor of a tragedy. In this case of post-traumatic stress, the patient berates himself for having been powerless in the face of the situation. They remain in a permanent state of alert.

THIRD GROUP OF SYMPTOMS: HYPERSTIMULATION
This symptom manifests itself as a nervous disorder. Generally speaking, the traumatized person experiences anxiety attacks, insomnia due to nightmares or sensory hallucinations.

Constantly, the patient may have the impression that danger is reappearing. Other symptoms, such as tension headaches or chronic pain, may also emerge. In severe cases, depression is accentuated, with suicidal and addictive tendencies.

Post-traumatic stress disorder: other manifestations

In addition to these three main groups of symptoms, there are others that can be identified in a person suffering from PTSD. These include impairment of certain functions, such as :

Cognitive abilities;
Emotional faculties;
Alertness;
Reactivity.

DETERIORATION OF COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL ABILITIES
When a person suffers from this disorder, he or she may show shortcomings in terms of cognition and emotions. They are unable to control the negative emotions that overwhelm them.

Post-traumatic stress disorder makes it hard for her to feel good about herself. She’s very prone to self-criticism, becomes pessimistic and is easily distressed and overwhelmed by events. She blames them for everything that happens to her, and hates the person she has become.

IMPAIRED ALERTNESS AND REACTIVITY
What’s more, when an individual is plagued by PTSD, there is also considerable damage to their alertness and responsiveness.

You’ll find it hard to concentrate, even on the simplest activities. What’s more, post-traumatic stress makes it difficult to use short-term memory. Affected people can effectively forget a conversation they had just 5 minutes before.

But the nightmare doesn’t stop there. Patients are also prone to mood disorders, and can go into huge tantrums.

And when you have this disorder, you can’t bear to leave the house. Clearly, social anxiety due to fear of events is no stranger to PTSD sufferers.

Post-traumatic stress disorder: how is it diagnosed?

A post-traumatic diagnosis should be made as soon as the above-mentioned symptoms become noticeable and frequent. It becomes even more urgent when you subject the person to a natural anti-stress treatment and nothing changes. In this case, it’s time for an examination. This applies whether or not the person concerned is aware of the traumatic event.

In any case, a diagnosis cannot be made without the presence of certain elements. To be able to speak of a possible post-traumatic stress disorder, the patient must display the following symptoms.

The presence of a traumatic event from which he or she has not been able to recover. The memory must a priori affect his or her thoughts and personality, and give rise to nightmares (reviviscence).
Avoidance, an exacerbated effort to avoid thinking about anything related to the trauma (people, places).
Difficulty focusing on something and frequent memory lapses (cognitive and wakefulness damage).
Mood swings and social difficulties (deterioration of emotional capacities and reactivity).

Post-traumatic stress disorder is generally diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). These criteria are used to identify mental disorders. They define four basic types of symptom: reliving, persistent negative changes in cognition and mood, and hyperactivity.

These elements must weaken the patient’s emotional life or have repercussions on daily life. It is important to specify that these repercussions should not be assimilated to the effects of taking medication. Or the consumption of alcohol or narcotics.

The impact of post-traumatic stress on daily life

People suffering from PTSD experience mood swings and uncontrollable outbursts of anger. The trauma also causes them to develop various psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety disorders. In addition, they may develop phobias related to the situation they have experienced.

More often than not, these people end up suffering from social phobia. They can’t study or work, let alone maintain a romantic relationship. Emotional difficulties and a disturbed libido are also noticeable.

And post-traumatic stress disorder doesn’t stop there. In addition to behavioral and social problems, these individuals may suffer from eating disorders. They may suffer from binge eating or eating disorders.

This disorder also has an impact on the patient’s physical health. Why is this? Because, over time, they may develop a state of chronic stress. This, in turn, can lead to even more serious after-effects:

Migraines;
Dermatological problems;
High blood pressure;
Ggastric ulcers…

In short, if left untreated, the patient’s life will gradually deteriorate.

What treatments are available to overcome post-traumatic stress?

There are two basic categories of treatment for PTSD. Of course, whenever possible, the first option is to use natural stress relievers. For example, there are :

Sporting activities;
Meditation;
Anti-stress music;
Herbal teas…

When these solutions prove ineffective, we turn to psychotherapeutic treatments and medication.

PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC TREATMENTS
These include cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and hypnosis. They can be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

These methods are among the most widely recognized and widely used for treating patients. The pace of treatment depends on the patient’s diagnosis. It’s a painstaking process that genuinely involves the patient. Count on 15 to 20 sessions, with 1 or 2 appointments per week.

Cognitive behavioral therapy:
CBT is a psychological treatment that focuses on trauma. This therapy involves examining the mechanism by which the patient relives the traumatic situation. This is an interesting approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder.

This is achieved by diagnosing the reminiscence process. This approach speeds up the recovery process. It works as a natural stress reliever. It consists of desensitization and progressive exposure to trauma-related elements.

EMDR to treat PTSD:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) remains one of the most effective psychotherapies for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. This technique uses eye movements to desensitize and reprocess memories and images. Thanks to this approach, the distress caused by painful memories gradually subsides.

Post-traumatic stress and hypnosis:
Post-traumatic stress can also be treated using hypnotherapy techniques. These are used to combat psychosomatic symptoms such as diffuse pain, headaches and nightmares. This method has proved effective in combating a wide range of psychological and neuropsychological disorders. It can even be used to combat stress or fear.

In the case of PTSD, hypnosis is often required to reinforce the patient’s process of mental restoration and forgetting.

Drug treatments

The most commonly recommended drugs for treating post-traumatic stress are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These are essentially :

Paroxetine;
Sertraline;
Amitriptyline;
Fuoxetine;
Fluvoxamine;
Imipramine.

These are antidepressants that work against irritability, anger or depression. However, they are less effective against avoidance and numbness disorders.

Caution: These drugs should only be taken under medical prescription.

Their slow, gradual effects often prove effective in the end. It should be added that this drug treatment is all the more effective when combined with psychotherapeutic support.

To sum up…

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appears to be an evil that influences the personality of its victim. However, suffering from such a disorder is not inevitable. There are certainly treatments, both natural and otherwise, that can help to overcome it.

Have you suffered from a traumatic event? Have you managed to cope, or are you currently undergoing treatment?