10 symptoms of PTSD from a professional
Any traumatic incident can trigger PTSD including earthquakes, aircraft crashes, hijackings, domestic violence or violent attacks, even if you are witness and not necessarily a victim.
POST Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) goes by many names – shell shock, battle figure, accident neurosis and post-rape syndrome. It was only in the 1970s’ Vietnam War that the mental disorder was renamed PTSD.
It’s history dates back to the early 19th century when Americans started noticing certain symptoms in people who had been through traumatic events, especially in soldiers who fought in the war.
June is Post Traumatic Disorder Awareness Month. Let’s break the stigma and raise awareness about the mental illness so that people can recover from it by seeking better treatments.
According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, PTSD is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed, even though the condition presents with very specific symptoms that comprise a definite psychiatric disorder.
People with PTSD are plagued by persistent frightening memories of the traumatic event which set off the condition, and feel emotionally numbed by the ordeal.
The condition is treatable but due to the lack of knowledge and the stigmas attached to the condition, many choose to live with the symptoms and don’t get the help they need.
According to counselling psychologist Rakhi Beekrum, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can occur after direct or indirect exposure to a traumatic event – one that involves actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence.
“In order for a diagnosis to be made, the symptoms must persist for over a month and cause significant impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning,” said Beekrum, who is based in Durban North.
“PTSD is extremely distressing for the individual but it can be managed with the appropriate psychological intervention,” she added.
Symptoms include:
1. Flashbacks or intrusive memories or recurrent distressing dreams related to the traumatic event
2. Extreme distress or physical reactions when exposed to cues or reminders of the traumatic event (visiting the location of the trauma or hearing sounds that trigger the memory)
3. Avoidance of thoughts or reminders of the trauma (not wanting to travel on the road in which a loved one may have been killed)
4. Hyper-vigilance – easily startled, irritable, concentration difficulties or sleep disturbances
5. Memory difficulties related to the trauma (e.g. inability to recall some aspects of the traumatic experience)
6. Negative mood and negative thoughts and assumptions about oneself or the world
7. Inappropriate blaming of self or others (e.g. believing that you could have prevented something that was not in your control in the first place)
8. Anhedonia – loss of interest in activities that one previously enjoyed
9. Feeling detached from others
10. Reckless or self-destructive behaviour (as a result of the trauma) – using excessive alcohol to cope
To find out more about the condition visit https://www.sadag.org
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