OVERVIEW
PTSD is a mental health condition that develops after witnessing a traumatic event or experience. PTSD affects people of all ages. The symptoms of PTSD often interfere with daily activities, relationships and work. While many people go through traumatic events or experiences, not all of them develop PTSD. PTSD stress responses include anxiety, depressed mood, avoiding situations related to the traumatic event, flashbacks and nightmares.
Types of PTSD
- Complex PTSD: This happens if you experience chronic/ long-term trauma. The examples of long-term trauma include long-term domestic violence, war and child physical abuse.
- Acute stress disorder: This is short term and can occur within the first month of experiencing a traumatic event.
SYMPTOMS
The symptoms of PTSD fall into four categories:
- Intrusion: This includes nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks of the traumatic event
- Avoidance: avoiding talking about what happened or how you feel about it, avoiding places, people, activities that remind you of the traumatic event
- Changes in arousal and activity: This includes being easily startled, problems concentrating or sleeping, reckless or self-destructive behavior, irritability and angry outbursts.
- Changes in thinking and mood: The symptom under this category includes ongoing fear, guilt or shame, feeling detached from others or reality, being unable to experience positive emotions. memory loss of the traumatic event and distorted thoughts.
Causes of PTSD
Neurotransmitter and brain changes: Studies show that people with PTSD have normal to low levels of cortisol and elevated levels of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) despite ongoing stress. CRF triggers the release of norepinephrine which leads to an increased sympathetic nervous system response. This leads to increased heart rate, blood pressure.
Brain changes: The size of the hippocampus decreases, and the amygdala is overly reactive in people with PTSD. The medical prefrontal cortex, which partly controls the emotional reactivity of your amygdala, appears to be smaller and less responsive to people with PTSD.
RISK FACTORS FOR PTSD
- childhood trauma
- injury during the event
- long-lasting or repeated trauma
- mental health conditions / substance abuse
- certain types of traumas particularly sexual assault or military combat