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Identifying the Symptoms of PTSD and Helping a Loved One Cope

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PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, has received much attention recently because of the number of military servicemen and servicewomen diagnosed with it after returning home from tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. Although PTSD has become overwhelmingly associated with the armed forces, it’s worth bearing in mind that any member of society can suffer from PTSD and that we often overlook, or don’t want to see, the symptoms in family and friends.

The symptoms of PTSD

PTSD symptoms can be categorised into three groups; re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms and hyper-arousal symptoms. It is important to note that after a traumatic event it’s natural to exhibit a few, or many, of these symptoms, though if the symptoms go away after a short period of time – perhaps a few weeks to a couple of months – that this isn’t PTSD but rather ASD or Acute Stress Disorder.

However, if the symptoms remain then these symptoms are likely to be evidence of PTSD. What else is important to note is that suffers of PTSD may not exhibit the following symptoms for some time after a traumatic event.

- Re-experiencing symptoms: Bad dreams, flashbacks, frightening thoughts

- Avoidance symptoms: Feeling emotionally numb, losing interest in activities and socialising, feeling depression, guilt or worry

- Hyper-arousal symptoms: Feeling tense or on edge, angry outbursts, sleeping problems, becoming easily startled

These are some of the most prominent symptoms of PTSD, so be on the lookout for these symptoms in family and friends if they have been through a traumatic experience.

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Image Source: Symptoms of PTSD

Children and PTSD

Children often exhibit different symptoms to adults after traumatic experiences and due to their age and lack of life inexperience it isn’t uncommon for children to be more seriously affected after a traumatic experience. Older children and teenagers generally exhibit symptoms more akin to those of adults and they may also adopt antisocial or destructive behaviour after a traumatic experience. Some of the symptoms to look for in children include the following:

- Becoming unusually clingy to adults and showing greater insecurity

- Forgetting how to or refusing to talk

- Bedwetting

- Re-enacting the traumatic event

Treating PTSD

PTSD is generally treated by psychotherapy, medication or both and it’s important to note that not everyone responds to the same treatment as others so there is no set-in-stone treatment for everyone who has suffered PTSD as a result of a traumatic experience.

Psychotherapy doesn’t involve electrodes or anything of the kind, and although the name is somewhat off putting for many people, psychotherapy is essentially ‘talk counselling’ and basically involves talking through one’s problems individually or as part of a group with a trained medical counsellor.

There are a number of intended outcomes to engaging in psychotherapy with a medical counsellor at one of the many centres for depression treatment in London, including the following:

- Learning about and how to use relaxation and anger control techniques

- Helping to deal with feelings like anger, guilt and shame after a traumatic event

- Learning about and how to use exercise, diet and sleep to overcome PTSD

As a result of exhibiting symptoms of PTSD after a traumatic event it might be necessary to treat the sufferer with medication. At the present point in time the medications used to treat PTSD are anti-depressants, which often result in negative side effects which family and friends of the sufferer should also be on the lookout for.

If a family member or friend has been through a traumatic event look out for symptoms of PTSD and encourage them to seek treatment – psychotherapy and/or medication – from a qualified medical counsellor.


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