Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (also known as PTSD) is exactly what you’d imagine from the name – a disorder that occurs in people after they have experienced a traumatic, stressful, shocking, dangerous, or frightening event.
Dr. Jantz Discusses Helping Someone With PTSD
7 minutesWhat kind of traumatic or stressful events can cause PTSD?
The type of events that can lead to PTSD tend to vary according to gender, although this is not set in stone. Women are more likely to experience sexual assault and child sexual abuse. Men are more likely to experience accidents, physical assault, combat, disaster, or to witness death or injury.
Traumatic events are not uncommon, with an estimated six out of every 10 men (or 60%) and five out of every 10 women (or 50%) experiencing at least one trauma in their lives.
However, it’s important to remember that not every traumatic or stressful event will lead to PTSD. In fact, most people who do experience a traumatic event do not go on to develop PTSD.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
The symptoms of PTSD include:
- Persistent, frightening thoughts and memories of the event(s)
- Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating
- Bad dreams
- Feeling detached or numb
- Jumpiness, being easily startled
- Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the traumatic experience
- Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event
- Feeling tense or “on edge”
- Having difficulty sleeping
- Having angry outbursts
- Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event
- Negative thoughts about oneself or the world
- Distorted feelings like guilt or blame
- Loss of interest in enjoyable activities
Adapted from guidance by the National Institute of Mental Health
PTSD can significantly impair a person’s ability to function at work, at home, and socially. Recognizing these symptoms is the first step on the way to recovery.
How many people suffer from PTSD?
According to the National Center for PTSD:
- About six out of every 100 people (or 6% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
- About 12 million adults in the U.S. have PTSD during a given year. Remember this is only a small portion of those who have gone through a trauma.
- About eight of every 100 women (or 8%) develop PTSD sometime in their lives compared with about four of every 100 men (or 4%).
Is PTSD treatable?
Yes. There is a range of treatment options for PTSD, with the most common options being medication and types of therapy.
Find out more about the best treatments for PTSD.
How is PTSD diagnosed?
To receive a clinical diagnosis of PTSD, you must fit the following criteria:
- Have been exposed to: death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury or physical abuse, or actual or threatened sexual violence. This could be direct exposure, witnessing the trauma, learning that a relative or close friend was exposed to a trauma, or through indirect exposure to aversive details of the trauma, usually in the course of professional duties (e.g., first responders, medics).
- Persistent re-experiencing of the event via memories, nightmares, flashbacks, emotional, and/or physical distress after being reminded of the event.
- Avoidance of trauma-related thoughts, feelings or reminders.
- Negative thoughts or feelings that began or worsened after the trauma, such as inability to recall key features of the trauma, overly negative thoughts and assumptions about oneself or the world, exaggerated blame of self or others for causing the trauma, negative emotions and expression (such as sadness, disgust, lethargy, fear, and distress), decreased interest in activities, feeling isolated, and difficulty experiencing positive emotions and expression.
- Changes to behavior or emotional state that began or worsened after the trauma, such as irritability or aggression, risky or destructive behavior, hypervigilance, heightened startle reaction, difficulty concentrating, and/or difficulty sleeping.
These symptoms must be causing significant distress or causing difficulties socially or at work to be recognized. In addition, a diagnosis requires you to have had symptoms that last for more than one month, and cannot be due to medication, substance use, or another illness.
A clinical diagnosis must be carried out by a licensed mental health or medical practitioner. So while you may think it’s likely you have PTSD, it’s vital to get this checked professionally.
