PTSD - Part 1 - edited and updated.

PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a mental illness that can be brought on as a result of suffering trauma. Most people that suffer from it, fortunately, only suffer it mildly and for a short time. Some, like myself, suffer it rather severely and chronically. It is

Men, woman, and children of any age, culture, or social background can suffer from PTSD. Many adult sufferers can actually link their trauma back to events they experienced in childhood, especially in cases of child abuse. Many children that suffer PTSD have no understanding of the trauma or why they are feeling the way they do. Not understanding the condition can be very scary for an adult, I can only imagine how horrible it must be for a child. For anyone close to someone that has PTSD, understanding this condition helps a lot in understanding why the person reacts and behaves the way they do, what might trigger them off and why it is necessary for them to learn how to reduce or remove those triggers from their lives, and how to best support them when they are having a bad day.

Most people, and sadly even some professionals that should know better, only associate it with Vietnam Veterans. More open-minded people might also associate it with anyone that has suffered through any war, be it as a soldier or refugee. What many people have a lot of trouble coming to grips with is the fact that anyone can suffer from it and it can be caused by any kind of trauma; including domestic violence, any violent crime, a traumatic accident or illness, or even just witnessing such an event.

It is a condition that varies in degrees and is slightly different for everyone. It's not the nature of the event that causes it that determines the degree and effects of PTSD, but the nature of the person. One person may survive a terrifically traumatic childbirth and come out of it okay, but another might end up with a severe case of PTSD. How a person deals with trauma and the level of support they have when they most need it can make a huge difference in regards to whether they suffer from PTSD and how severely it effects them.

Any kind of trauma can leave a person with the effects of PTSD for a short time. Where it becomes a serious problem is when the person is still suffering weeks after, or longer, and does not receive adequete support and counselling. There are medications that can ease the symptoms of PTSD, and recently there has been one new drug on the market that, the last I heard was still in the experimental stages, is specifically designed to help ease all of the symptoms together. But, the best treatment for this condition is still a lot of support and therapy for the sufferer, and the suffer needs to want to recover fully and be determined to get through it.

PTSD is a rather complex condition with many symptoms; including - but not restricted to - insomnia, flashbacks, periods of memory loss, depression, mood swings, anxiety, paranoia, panic attacks, heightened awareness, irritability, hyperactivity, hypervigilance, and phobias related to the trauma. It is not an excuse for bad bahaviour. I say that because I've known people to use all manner of mental illnesses to explain why they are behaving in an anti-social manner, and PTSD is one of those illnesses that does get used as a crutch in this way by some people. PTSD makes life difficult, and it can make a person irritable and short tempered. It can even give them very short periods where they behave as if they are suffering the trauma all over again - which can be strange and even scary to witness. But it is not an excuse to be abusive or violent towards anyone, and it can be controlled.

When we are scared, we have a natural fight or flight response. We will either try to run away/submit/cower or we will stand our ground and fight. Most people instinctively go for flight first and will usually only fight if put in a situation where they can't take flight for an option. Military personnel are an exception to this rule, because right from their very first day of service they are trained, to the point of total brainwash, that when they are put into a dangerous situation they are to fight. Consequently, if a civilian is about to be hit by a car while crossing the road, they will try to run. A military-trained person may, if they kick into automatic functioning as trained, actually walk towards the car! It seems crazy, but that's just how it is. Unfortunately, in civilian life we look at that as totally wrong, but it is a necessary mental state to have if you are going to go and fight a war. Sufferers of PTSD may over-react to these types of fight or flight situations. Instead of just quietly skulking away from someone intimidating them, they may literally curl up in a ball and start screaming and crying and begging the person to not hurt them!

Sufferers of PTSD don't suffer the symptoms 24 hours a day 7 days a week. They may go for years seeming perfectly fine and then suddenly the symptoms will appear, and even disappear just as fast. It might be that one aspect of it suddenly hits them for a few minutes and then nothing for a long time, or they may suffer many effects quite regularly. The symptoms are triggered by things that subconsciously remind the person of the trauma they suffered. If the person can identify the triggers and avoid them or, better yet, train themselves to become used to them without setting off the PTSD effects (like an arachnophobic learning to touch a harmless spider and thus overcome their fear) the symptoms of their condition will rarely effect them. Some sufferers that have had this condition for a long time can become rather adept at hiding their problems, to the point where even people that know them quite well will not believe they suffer from PTSD, or any other mental illness, until they witness the person react in an openly extreme manner to a flashback, panic attack, nightmare or other related symptom.

Triggers can be just about anything, and they vary from person to person and are completely linked to their memories of the traumatic event that started it all. The tricky part is that to identify many of these triggers may require bringing up many repressed memories - and this should only be done with the help of a trained psychologist or someone equally specialized in doing this sort of thing. A trigger may be a certain smell, taste, sound, sight, physical sensation, the presence of a person or item, or just witnessing a similar event in a movie.

The worst part about this condition is that the sufferer can get through life for years, even decades, without even realizing anything is wrong, then something will happen to trigger their repressed memories of the traumatic event that started it, and they suddenly find themselves suffering all sorts of horrible ill effects and they may not understand why. This can make matters worse for them as they begin to think they are going crazy; and people around them, not understanding what is going on with them, can all too often distance themselves from that person, making the sufferer feel even more isolated.

I have learned that the best way to deal with trauma is to 'get back up on the horse and ride it'. If you are in a nasty car accident, refusing to ever get into a car again could cause you more problems with dealing with that trauma in the long run. PTSD is the result of fear. Facing that fear, like overcoming a phobia, is the best way to come to terms with it. That's not to say that you should go and put yourself back into a dangerous situation, but if a certain smell is something that will trigger your PTSD off, you might do well to expose yourself to that smell in a safe and calm environment, just a little at a time, until you can smell it and not think about the traumatic event that you suffered. This is where getting professional help can be very useful and necessary, as you can then learn to do these things with the guidance of someone who understands it properly and knows all the tricks to overcoming it.

There is help available. Because of the social attitude that it can only happen to Vietman Veterans, seeking that help can feel like pushing mud up hill on a rainy day with a pointy stick. Persistance will pay off. Talk about it, seek professional help, and never give up until you can find someone who will listen, take you seriously, and be able to help. If you are close to someone with this condition, learn all you can about it and about the trauma that person suffered so that you can better understand them and what they are going through. In understanding this better you will be able to help and support them in better. If you have never suffered such a thing, and no one you know has, just be aware that it does exist, and one day you, or someone close to you, may be faced with a trauma that is hard to get past. This condition is actually preventable if the right sort of help and support is received early enough.