Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Terrible events have significant effects on us. When something dangerous or scary happens, we feel unsafe and insecure. Most of the time, this is normal. It's a normal reaction to a traumatic event. If you witness something traumatic, you may find it hard to sleep at night and you may become scared of the place where it happened. However, some people don't cope easily. They find it hard to forget about what happened. Psychological and physiological symptoms and signs start to manifest, indicating an anxiety disorder --- post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This anxiety disorder must be taken seriously and must be treated immediately. It can disrupt a person's life completely.

People suffering from PTSD have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event --- physical or sexual assault, torture, war, a plane crash, or a natural disaster. This can also affect rescue workers working at the site of mass casualties. These events can cause fear, horror, and helplessness, which can trigger PTSD.

It may be difficult to know if you or someone you love suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. Having a wide range of emotions and feelings after a traumatic event is normal. These feelings may include sadness, anxiety and fear, changes in eating and sleeping patterns, or a lack of focus. Recurrent nightmares about the traumatic event are also usually experienced. Experiencing all these does not mean you have PTSD. However, if you still have these disturbing feelings and you feel that your life is still out of control for more than a month after the event, you should consider consulting a health care professional.

Getting the appropriate treatment immediately is necessary so you can prevent any further damage and symptoms from getting worse. Failure to treat these symptoms can be disabling. Some PTSD patients still blame themselves for what happened. They may also feel incredibly guilty for not doing enough, or simply for surviving when the others did not. These thoughts and anxieties can prevent you from doing your job well or doing well in school. Sometimes, the patient's relationships with other people also suffer.