You are a strong individual. You are special and you are here for a reason. And that reason is to find happiness and meaning in your life. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD can be a tight grip holding you back from you reaching these goals in life. But it doesn’t have to win. You are still in control.
The National Institute for Mental Health defines PTSD as a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. It is normal and almost necessary for our body to react ‘afraid’ or ‘scared’ to a dangerous situation to help us stay away from a potentially dangerous situation. Oftentimes, the feeling of sacredness and the anxiety it builds up passes away in a short time after you have moved out of the way of danger. However, in rare cases, it can leave a lasting impression. And these triggers may arise in the most normal situations causing you to hinder your normal day-to-day life. This is when the situation will be considered a disorder and termed PTSD.
There are many tell-tale symptoms from a person going through PTSD. Even if you have not been diagnosed as such, and you feel like you do suffer from PTSD, the below list of symptoms can help you self-diagnose or help identify someone else going through it.
- Vivid flashbacks (almost as if re-living the traumatic event)
- Nightmares
- Avoiding thinking and talking about the traumatic event
- Avoiding places and situations that resemble the trauma
- Always on guard
- Aggressive behavior
- Easily frightened
- Difficulty in concentration
- Anxiety
- Trust issues
- Headaches, chest pains, and sensations of pain in other parts of the body
- Self-harm
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Suicidal thoughts
The symptoms can vary vastly from person to persona and the type and magnitude of trauma they experienced. So, keep a lookout for your friends showing any of the above signs who have endured some kind of trauma.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is treatable and no one has to suffer. There have been many medical advances in this field recently with greatly effective outcomes.
BetterHelp specializes in treating people diagnosed with (or those that believe that they may suffer from) PTSD. Since different people experience PTSD in different ways and magnitudes, the treatments can also vary accordingly. BetterHelp lists down many different ways of treating PTSD such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Restructuring, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Stress Inoculation Training, Prolonged Exposure, and Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing. Don’t be worried about the medical terms here. All these treatments are designed in some way to take control of your thoughts associated with the trauma.
Fighting PTSD alone can be a difficult task. It is hard to explain to your friend and it is even harder for your friend to understand. But professionals such as BetterHelp can understand and walk you through the journey to your recovery.
Remember, the first step for recovery is admitting you have a problem. The second step is seeking the necessary help.