It was then called shell shock, combat exhaustion, nostalgia, railroad spine. History has given it so many names, but all described the same set of behavior when a person has experienced or witnessed a very traumatic event. Now, it is recognized as a medical condition and in some countries, people who have the disorder are considered legally invalid or disabled.
When the official term for long term trauma entered the vocabulary in 1980, so did the many interventions designed to manage the condition. In recent years, telepsychiatry for post-traumatic stress disorder is used to bridge connections and treat hard to reach patients and contact further support. But let us take a look at the syndrome itself in order to understand and to determine whether someone we know needs help.
Getting hurt firsthand is the first factor to consider if someone is at risk. Being a witness to a horrible, scary event, and living through a dangerous disaster are also part of the criteria. Having feelings of helplessness, experiencing extreme anxiety and fear, and having minimal social support after the traumatic situation will further increase the risk. Resiliency factors consist of having a coping strategy when faced with danger, being able to effectively react and respond to danger, and having enough social support.
As the psychological well being of a person is innate as much as it is environmental, genes play a crucial role in determining if an individual is at risk. Stathmin is a protein found in our genes that elicits the making of fear memories. Researchers have also found out that a version of the 5 HTTLPR gene control the production of serotonin, the hormone that fuels the fear response.
Being psychologically healthy also depends on how your brain functions. Persons who are prone to PTSD have underdeveloped or impaired amygdalas and prefrontal complexes. The amygdala is responsible for evoking emotions, learning, and recall when something happens, while the prefrontal cortex handles our ability to solve problems and judging situations. Understanding how our brain and genes betray some of us will be a vital part in pointing out who is at risk for the syndrome.
For someone to qualify for diagnosis, one should have at least one reexperiencing symptom. This includes very vivid flashbacks and nightmares, extremely scary and terrible thoughts, and reliving the experience from time to time. These symptoms are triggered even by the most non suspicious object, word, or situation, as long they remind the person of the traumatic event.
Avoidance symptoms such as being numb emotionally, staying away from objects or places that remind them of the terrible experience, feelings of guilt, anxiety and depression, and such can make a patient modify his daily routine in order to keep himself away from all the reminders. He might also lose interest in the things he used to enjoy before the traumatic event. He may also have trouble in recalling the details of the said event.
Hyperarousal symptoms consist of always feeling on the edge, tension, being surprised or startled easily, experiencing outbursts, and insomnia. These are constant symptoms and do not need triggers to happen. A person with PTSD may have trouble accomplishing daily tasks such as sleeping, concentrating, and even eating. Because these signs are normal after a tragic event, they can be called acute stress disorder rather than PTSD.
When a person has passed the criteria and has been diagnosed, CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy is often used as an intervention. Medical treatments consist of paroxetine and sertraline, the only approved drugs for PTSD. In the event that there is a known catastrophe, it is important to have the victims undergo critical incident stress debriefing as soon as possible to prevent the onset of PTSD.
When the official term for long term trauma entered the vocabulary in 1980, so did the many interventions designed to manage the condition. In recent years, telepsychiatry for post-traumatic stress disorder is used to bridge connections and treat hard to reach patients and contact further support. But let us take a look at the syndrome itself in order to understand and to determine whether someone we know needs help.
Getting hurt firsthand is the first factor to consider if someone is at risk. Being a witness to a horrible, scary event, and living through a dangerous disaster are also part of the criteria. Having feelings of helplessness, experiencing extreme anxiety and fear, and having minimal social support after the traumatic situation will further increase the risk. Resiliency factors consist of having a coping strategy when faced with danger, being able to effectively react and respond to danger, and having enough social support.
As the psychological well being of a person is innate as much as it is environmental, genes play a crucial role in determining if an individual is at risk. Stathmin is a protein found in our genes that elicits the making of fear memories. Researchers have also found out that a version of the 5 HTTLPR gene control the production of serotonin, the hormone that fuels the fear response.
Being psychologically healthy also depends on how your brain functions. Persons who are prone to PTSD have underdeveloped or impaired amygdalas and prefrontal complexes. The amygdala is responsible for evoking emotions, learning, and recall when something happens, while the prefrontal cortex handles our ability to solve problems and judging situations. Understanding how our brain and genes betray some of us will be a vital part in pointing out who is at risk for the syndrome.
For someone to qualify for diagnosis, one should have at least one reexperiencing symptom. This includes very vivid flashbacks and nightmares, extremely scary and terrible thoughts, and reliving the experience from time to time. These symptoms are triggered even by the most non suspicious object, word, or situation, as long they remind the person of the traumatic event.
Avoidance symptoms such as being numb emotionally, staying away from objects or places that remind them of the terrible experience, feelings of guilt, anxiety and depression, and such can make a patient modify his daily routine in order to keep himself away from all the reminders. He might also lose interest in the things he used to enjoy before the traumatic event. He may also have trouble in recalling the details of the said event.
Hyperarousal symptoms consist of always feeling on the edge, tension, being surprised or startled easily, experiencing outbursts, and insomnia. These are constant symptoms and do not need triggers to happen. A person with PTSD may have trouble accomplishing daily tasks such as sleeping, concentrating, and even eating. Because these signs are normal after a tragic event, they can be called acute stress disorder rather than PTSD.
When a person has passed the criteria and has been diagnosed, CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy is often used as an intervention. Medical treatments consist of paroxetine and sertraline, the only approved drugs for PTSD. In the event that there is a known catastrophe, it is important to have the victims undergo critical incident stress debriefing as soon as possible to prevent the onset of PTSD.
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