Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
P ost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and/or frightening that you see or that happens to you. Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD. For service members, these events can include:
- Combat exposure
- Being physically injured
- Seeing others killed or wounded
- Terrorist attacks
- Serious accidents
- Sexual or physical assault
After the event, you may feel scared, confused or angry. If these feelings don't go away or they get worse, you may have PTSD. These symptoms may disrupt your life, making it hard to continue with your daily activities.
How does PTSD develop?
PTSD develops when someone lives through a traumatic event where they have witnessed horrifying events, which have left them feeling helpless and fearful for their lives. Most people who go through a traumatic event have some symptoms at the beginning, yet only some will develop PTSD. It isn't clear why some people develop PTSD and others do not. How likely you are to get PTSD depends on many things:
- How intense the trauma was or how long it lasted
- If you lost someone you were close to or were hurt
- How strong your reaction was
- How much you felt in control of events
- How much help and support you got after the event
Many people who develop PTSD get better over time. But about one out of three people with PTSD may continue to have some symptoms. If you continue to have symptoms, treatment can help you cope. PTSD symptoms don't have to interfere with your everyday activities, work and relationships.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
Four types of PTSD symptoms
- Re-living the event (flashbacks)
- Avoiding situations that remind you of the event
- Feeling numb
- Feeling keyed up or anxious
Many people with PTSD repeatedly re-experience the ordeal in the form of flashback episodes, memories, dreams or frightening thoughts, especially when they are exposed to events or objects reminiscent of the trauma. Anniversaries of the event can also trigger symptoms. Symptoms of PTSD can be frightening and may disrupt your life, making it hard to continue with daily activities.
Other common PTSD problems
- Alcohol abuse or drug problems
- Feelings of hopelessness, shame or 'survivor’s guilt'
- Employment problems
- Relationships problems including divorce and violence
- Physical symptoms, such as headaches, gastrointestinal complaints, immune system problems, dizziness, chest pain, or discomfort in other parts of the body
People with PTSD also experience emotional numbness and sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, and irritability or outbursts of anger. Feelings of intense guilt are also common. Most people with PTSD try to avoid any reminders or thoughts of the ordeal. If the symptoms last longer than one month, cause you great distress or interfere with your work or home life, you probably have PTSD.
Re-living the event (also called flashback episodes):
Bad memories of the traumatic event can come back at any time.
- You may feel the same fear and horror you did when the event took place.
- You may have dreams about it, sometimes recurring.
- You even may feel like you're going through the event again.
- Sometimes there is a trigger: a sound, sight, or smell that causes you to relive the event. For example, for combat Veterans, hearing a car backfire or fireworks may bring back memories of gunfire or explosions.
Avoiding situations that remind you of the event:
You may isolate yourself in an effort to avoid flashbacks of the event.
- You may try to stay away from people or places that trigger memories of the traumatic event.
- You may even avoid talking or thinking about the event.
- Some people try to stay very busy so they don’t have to think or talk about the event.
Feeling numb:
You may find it hard to express your feelings. This is another way to avoid memories.
- You may stay away from relationships or may not have the same positive or loving feelings toward other people you used to have.
- You may not be interested in activities you used to enjoy .
- You may forget about parts of the traumatic event or not be able to talk about them.
Feeling keyed up or anxious all the time:
You may be jittery, on edge or on the lookout for danger. This is known as being hyperalert. It can cause you to:
- Always be on guard at some level
- Suddenly become angry or irritable
- Continually fear for your safety
- Have a hard time sleeping
- Have trouble concentrating
- Be overly startled when someone surprises you
What treatments are available?
When you have PTSD, dealing with the past can be hard. Instead of telling others how you feel, you may keep your feelings bottled up. Fortunately, effective treatments have been developed to help people with PTSD.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and exposure therapy, in which the patient gradually and repeatedly relives the frightening experience under controlled conditions to help him or her work through the trauma are effective therapies. Medications can be effective too. A type of medication known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which is also used for depression, is effective for PTSD.
Giving people an opportunity to talk about their experiences very soon after a traumatic event may also reduce some of the symptoms of PTSD.
Confidential help is available
You're not alone. We're here to help. The Illinois Warrior Assistance Program is a free program for returning Veterans. Confidential assistance is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call now – 866-554-IWAP (4927).
Created by Magellan Health Services staff; reviewed by Magellan clinical staff