Mental Stress Disorder

Stress can directly cause many diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure. But stress can have devastating effects on the brain, causing depression and in more serious cases, mental stress disorder, more commonly referred to as "post-traumatic stress disorder" (PTSD). As a result of trauma or stress of some sort, this mental stress disorder develops, essentially making the patient relive the trauma or experience the stress repeatedly with no relief.

Statistics

• Seven to eight percent of the U.S. population will suffer from PTSD during their lifetime. Up to 40% of children and teens have experienced at least one traumatic event, and 15% of the girls along with 6% of the boys develop this mental stress disorder on account of the trauma. One-hundred percent of children who witness a tragic crime (i.e. parents being killed, car accident, sexual abuse) suffer from PTSD to some degree. It's estimated that up to 5 million Americans live with PTSD at any given time, and it affects more women than men. As of 2005, more than 200,000 veterans receive disability benefits for suffering from this mental stress disorder.

Symptoms

• The stressful or traumatic event is revisited via dreams, recurring thoughts, or perceptions. The patient dissociates from all emotions related to the trauma, and develops avoidance tactics to anything that reminds him of the event. The patient will usually seclude himself from friends and family, and become detached; void of all positive emotions.
  PTSD patients will also be unable to concentrate or focus. Marriage life can be affected; their work will suffer on account of this mental stress disorder. Generally, these patients suffer from insomnia after the onset of PTSD.

Comorbidity

• In serious cases, PTSD can present with somatic disorder and physiological pain. Under constant stress, they may physically develop illnesses and become a host to various diseases. Many PTSD patients also develop, either concurrently or consecutively, other conditions such as severe depression, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social disorder, anxiety disorder, and some may even develop bipolar disorder.

Diagnosis

• When the symptoms have lasted less than one month, usually with fewer symptoms, a person is diagnosed with Acute Stress Disorder, or ASD. When these symptoms last more than one month, and span across many of the symptoms, the person is diagnosed as suffering from PTSD. In order for the PTSD diagnosis to be given, there must be signfiicant functional impairment and profound distress present.

Treatment

• The first step in treating patients with PTSD is having them understand the disease, and the prevalence of this condition in people who have experience trauma like they have. Medicine and therapy (individual, group and family) is utilized. Coping mechanisms are taught and the patient is guided to recall and talk about the event through cognitive therapy.

  The most common medications prescribed for the treatment of PTSD are serotonergic antidepressants (SSRI) like Prozac and Zoloft. Medicating patients to enable them to sleep has proven to decrease many of the symptoms associated with PTSD.

Recovery

• Every patient differs in that some recover within 3 months of onset whereas others take up to a year to recover from PTSD. In some cases, PTSD becomes a chronic condition.
  With proper medical treatment, regular therapy sessions and learning of new coping and relaxation methods, most people who get diagnosed with PTSD can begin the gradual recovery process, and rediscover the joys of life.