PTSD Symptoms

Post-traumatic stress disorder is an intricate and diverse mental condition that is becoming more common among Americans, and just as commonly dismissed or overlooked by physicians, the military and the patient's friends and family. It's important to note PTSD's overarching nature and that it can lead to other sub-symptoms and illnesses such as depression or substance abuse.

Significance

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was recognized as a mental disorder in 1980. PTSD results from intensely frightening, disturbing, shocking, painful and/or life-threatening situations. Those who suffer the symptoms have experiences circumstances ranging from sexual assault, combat, natural disasters or other disasters such as plane crashes.

History

• From the Civil War to the Gulf War, PTSD has been given various names such as "soldier's heart," "shell shock," "gross stress reaction," "post-Vietnam syndrome" and "Gulf War syndrome." This mental disorder is complex and affects not only war veterans but ordinary individuals as well who have been either misdiagnosed or incompletely diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolarism, alcoholism or other substance abuse, or a dissociative disorder.

Symptoms

• According to the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), mentalhealthamerica.net, and medicinenet.com, symptoms of PTSD are long-ranging and can often seem unrelated to the initial cause of the problem. There are three main encompassing classifications that merit a PTSD diagnosis.
  "Reliving the event," or having random and intense flashbacks, is triggered by reminders of the traumatic event and can lead to dramatic and dissociative recollection and re-enactment as if the person was reliving the experience. Triggers occur when the individual hears, smells, sees, feels or tastes what was experienced during the event. This symptom also often involves recurring nightmares and an imposition of the subconscious to the conscious mind.
  "Avoidance" is when people avoid situations that remind them of the event. For example, if an individual was robbed at an ATM, he may avoid going to banks, or if he survived a plane crash or earthquake, he would avoid watching movies or television shows featuring such disasters. This can spur other symptoms such as a disinterest in daily activities (work or school) and emotional detachment, numbness and/or mistrust toward friends and families, as a way to avoid talking about the event and expressing painful memories.
  "Hyperarousal" can manifest in a variety of ways. The individual may have trouble sleeping as well as concentrating, may easily become irritable or angry and have an overwhelming fear for his or her safety. Physical effects of this symptom can include blackouts, feeling jittery, muscle tension, constipation, diarrhea, rapid breathing and heart rate.
  There are a number of sub-symptoms to these primary classifications. These usually appear to be psychological or physical problems in their own right but often derive from the initial trauma of the event. Substance abuse such as alcoholism and addiction to prescription and/or illegal drugs is a common coping mechanism that may be accompanied by problems with relationships, depression and suicidal thoughts or tendencies.
  What seems to be the prevalent theme of living and dealing with PTSD is acknowledgment of the condition and thorough education and self-education. Simple realization of the condition along with support from family and friends makes it easier to monitor and manage the various symptoms of PTSD.

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