Post traumatic stress disorder is a combination of reactions following a trauma. You may have been told by your doctor, psychiatrist or clinical psychologist that you are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD for short. Or you may think you are suffering with PTSD. The diagnosis of PTSD depends on what symptoms you are experiencing.
Symptoms of PTSD
If you have been exposed to a traumatic event, you may be experiencing one symptom of PTSD or a combination of the following symptoms of PTSD:
Feeling anxious and agitated - you may feel permanently agitated and nervous, unable to concentrate and settle, suffer with sleep deprivation and feeling on-the-edge and be overreacting to small things.
Avoidance or poor ability to re-connect with the world – this is called emotional numbness. You deliberately avoid places, people or activities that may remind you of the traumatic event. You may also decide to comfort yourself with substances, alcohol or food. This could then lead to addictions or eating disorders.
Other reactions and symptoms of PTSD – these can be depression and traumatic grief (wanting to sleep all the time, burn-out), self-blame and guilt (Why did I survive when the others didn’t?) or low self-esteem and loss of confidence in yourself.
You may be experiencing many of these symptoms immediately following a traumatic event and for most people these symptoms of PTSD will subside during the next few weeks. If your symptoms of PTSD don’t subside for longer than a month and you are experiencing these symptoms over and over again and they are frequent, severe and disabling, you are probably suffering with a post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
It is important that you understand what is happening to you and that you get help to assist you in becoming your old self again.
Have a look at The Linden Method which could help you if you are suffering with panic attacks, generalized anxiety or OCD.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - is a result of a traumatic event that leads to a psychological trauma. This event might involve emotional or sexual child abuse, physical trauma, experiencing or witnessing robbery, kidnapping, threat of death through an ilness, car accidents, natural disasters or terrorist attacks, war and other traumatic events.
Children with post traumatic stress disorder experience flashback memories and nightmares about traumatic events and may suffer with difficulty falling asleep, have anger problems, difficulty concentrating or inability to feel certain feelings again. They may start avoiding people, places or situations that remind them of the event.
Children are more easily traumatized than adults and unless treatment and psychological help is provided, the trauma is then taken into adult life. The primary cause of the trauma may be intentionally forgotten or "blanked out", but the psychological consequences of the traumatic event keep interfering with their life.
The British Journal of Psychiatry has recommended trauma specific cognitive behavioral therapy as a first line treatment for children with post traumatic stress disorder. Research shows that behavior therapy in general benefit child victims of trauma and helps freeing your children from anxiety.
When a child suffers with excessive anxiety regarding separation from home or from people to whom it has a strong emotional attachment (mother, father, siblings, grandparents etc).
Characterized by intrusive anxiety producing thoughts, repetitive behaviors or by combining these two - thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions).
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Dental Anxiety - Strategies to relieve anxiety
Dental anxiety is commonplace among children. Nearly 20% of school age children are afraid of dentists. Treating children with dental anxiety presents a real challenge to dental clinicians.
