June is PTSD Awareness Month
It is important to be aware of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), its symptoms, and how it is treated. Thousands suffer from it every year, but not many are talking about it or seeking help for it. PTSD can occur after a traumatic event –war, physical or sexual assault, accidents, among others – with symptoms including depression, anxiety, nightmares, and even paranoia. PTSD can affect anyone who has experienced trauma. However, it is often more common among soldiers who returned home from combat situations or victims of sexual assault.
This mental health condition is highly treatable but due to the stigma attached to seeking mental help, many choose to ignore the problem and suffer through it. National PTSD Awareness Month is observed in June of each year, and it ushers in an array of awareness campaigns run for the benefit of PTSD sufferers and survivors. It aims to increase awareness about the disorder and make it easier for people who have suffered from it to seek appropriate treatment.
What is PTSD?
As defined by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, posttraumatic stress disorder “is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.”
It is normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after this type of event. At first, it may be hard to do normal daily activities, like go to work, go to school, or spend time with people you care about. But most people start to feel better after a few weeks or months.
If it’s been longer than a few months and you’re still having symptoms, you may have PTSD. For some people, PTSD symptoms may start later on, or they may come and go over time.
For some people, treatment can get rid of PTSD altogether. For others, it can make symptoms less intense. Treatment also gives sufferers the tools to manage symptoms so can keep on living their lives.
PTSD By the Numbers
- 1 in 3 Americans develop PTSD.
- About 8 million adults in the U.S. have PTSD during a given year. (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2019)
- PTSD affects more than twice as many women (10%) as men (4%). (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2019)
- 70% of adults in the U.S. experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. (Sidran Institute, 2018)
- The lifetime prevalence of PTSD in the U.S. was 6.8% as of 2001-2003. (Harvard Medical School, 2007)
- PTSD in adults was highest in 45- to 59-year-olds (5.3%) as of 2001-2003. (Harvard Medical School, 2007)
- PTSD in adolescents was highest in female adolescents aged 13 to 18 (8%) as of 2001-2004. (Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2010)
- PTSD prevalence was lowest in adults aged 60 or older (1%) as of 2001-2003. (Harvard Medical School, 2007)
- An estimated 354 million adult war survivors globally have PTSD and/or major depression. (European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2019)
- In one study of 1,938 veterans, a PTSD prevalence of about 14% was present in veterans who served in Iraq. (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
- Canada has the highest rates of PTSD of 24 countries studied. Nine percent of Canadians will suffer from PTSD in their lifetime. (The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2016)
- Of people in the United States who experience a traumatic event, 20% will develop PTSD. (Sidran Institute, 2018)
- 1 in 13 people in the U.S. will develop PTSD at some point in their life. (Sidran Institute, 2018)
- The amount of mild, moderate, and severe cases are nearly equal, with 36.6% of cases being severe, 33.1% being moderate, and 30.2% being mild. (Harvard Medical School, 2007)
What can cause PTSD?
Any experience that threatens your life or someone else’s can cause PTSD. These types of events are sometimes called trauma. Trauma can take many forms. A traumatic event could be something that happened to you, or something that you saw happen to someone else. Seeing the effects of a horrible or violent event can also be traumatic – for example, being a first responder after a violent attack.
Types of traumatic events that can cause PTSD include:
- Combat and other military experiences
- Sexual or physical assault
- Learning about the violent or accidental death or injury of a loved one
- Child sexual or physical abuse
- Serious accidents, like a car wreck
- Natural disasters, like a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake
- Terrorist attacks
During this kind of event, you may not have control over what is happening and you may feel very afraid. Anyone who has gone through something like this can develop PTSD.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
There are 4 types of PTSD symptoms, but they may not be exactly the same for everyone. Each person experiences symptoms in their own way.
Reliving the event
Unwelcome memories about the trauma can come up at any time. They can feel very real and scary, as if the event is happening again. This is called a flashback. You may also have nightmares.
Memories of the trauma can happen because of a trigger – something that reminds you of the event. For example, seeing a news report about a disaster may trigger someone who lived through a hurricane. Or hearing a car backfire might bring back memories of gunfire for a combat Veteran.
Avoiding things that remind you of the event
You may try to avoid certain people or situations that remind you of the event. For example, someone who was assaulted on a bus might avoid taking public transportation. Or a combat Veteran may avoid crowded places like shopping malls because it feels dangerous to be around so many people.
You may also try to stay busy all the time so you don’t have to talk or think about the event.
Having more negative thoughts and feelings than before
You may feel more negative than you did before the trauma. You might be sad or numb, even lose interest in things you used to enjoy, like spending time with friends. You may feel as though the world is dangerous and you cannot trust anyone, and it may be hard for you to feel or express happiness, or other positive emotions.
You might also feel guilt or shame about the traumatic event itself, like wishing you had done more to keep it from happening.
Feeling on edge
It is common to feel jittery or “keyed up”, like it is hard to relax. This is called hyperarousal. You might have trouble sleeping or concentrating, or feel like you’re always on the lookout for danger. You may suddenly get angry and irritable and even startle easily when someone surprises you.
You may also act in unhealthy ways, like smoking, abusing drugs and alcohol, or driving aggressively.
How do I know if I have PTSD?
The only way to know for sure it to talk to a mental health care provider. He will ask you about your trauma, your symptoms, and any other problems you may have. If you think you might have PTSD, answer this self-screening tool from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Do not take the self-screen for someone else. If you are concerned that someone you care about might have PTSD, please share this screen with them instead.
After a traumatic event, it is normal to think, act, and feel differently than usual– but most people start to feel better after a few weeks or months. Talk to your doctors or mental health care provider, like a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker, if your symptoms:
- Last longer than a few months
- Are very upsetting
- Disrupt your daily life
Treatment can help – you don’t have to live with your symptoms forever.
What happens during PTSD treatment?
Your therapist or doctor will start by talking with you about your PTSD symptoms and your treatment options. Once you’ve chosen a type of treatment, he’ll explain what will happen, how it will help you feel better, and why it works. Remember, you can always ask questions about your treatment. Both trauma-focused psychotherapies and medication are proven to treat PTSD.
Trauma-focused Psychotherapies
Trauma-focused psychotherapies are the most highly recommended treatment for PTSD. “Trauma-focused” means that the treatment focuses on the memory of the traumatic event or its meaning. In this booklet, we’ll tell you about 3 of the most effective traumafocused psychotherapies for PTSD. In each of these psychotherapies, you’ll meet with a therapist once or twice a week, for 50 to 90 minutes. You and your therapist will have specific goals and topics to cover during each session. Treatment usually lasts for 3 to 4 months. Then, if you still have symptoms, you and your therapist can talk about other ways to manage them.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
People with PTSD often try to avoid things that remind them of the trauma. This can help you feel better in the moment, but in the long term it can keep you from recovering from PTSD. In PE, you expose yourself to the thoughts, feelings, and situations that you’ve been avoiding. It sounds scary, but facing things you’re afraid of in a safe way can help you learn that you don’t need to avoid reminders of the trauma.
Your therapist will ask you to talk about your trauma over and over. This will help you get more control of your thoughts and feelings about the trauma so you don’t need to be afraid of your memories. She will also help you work up to doing the things you’ve been avoiding. For example, let’s say you avoid driving because it reminds you of an accident. At first, you might just sit in the car and practice staying calm with breathing exercises. Gradually, you’ll work towards driving without being upset by memories of your trauma.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
After a trauma, it’s common to have negative thoughts — like thinking what happened is your fault or that the world is very dangerous. CPT helps you learn to identify and change these thoughts. Changing how you think about the trauma can help change how you feel.
You’ll talk with your therapist and fill out worksheets about the negative thoughts and beliefs that are upsetting you. Then your therapist will help you challenge those thoughts and think about your trauma in a way that’s less upsetting.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
People with PTSD react negatively to the memory of their traumas. EMDR can help you process these upsetting memories, thoughts, and feelings. You’ll focus on specific sounds or movements while you talk about the trauma. This helps your brain work through the traumatic memories. Over time, you can change how you react to memories of your trauma.
Your therapist will ask you to choose a memory from the trauma and identify the negative thoughts, emotions, and feelings in your body that go with it. You’ll think about this memory while you pay attention to a sound (like a beeping tone) or a movement (like your therapist’s finger moving back and forth). Once the memory becomes less upsetting, you’ll work on adding a positive thought.
How about PTSD support groups?
In a support group, you talk about your day-to-day problems with other people who have had similar experiences. They can be a good addition to PTSD treatment, or something you can do after you’ve gotten treatment — but they won’t treat your PTSD.
PTSD medication
When you have PTSD, you may not have enough of certain chemicals in your brain that help you manage stress. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) are medications that can help raise the level of these chemicals in your brain so you feel better. Sertraline, paroxetine, and fluoxetine are SSRIs that work for PTSD. Venlafaxine is an SNRI that is effective.
Before starting to take medication to treat PTSD, you’ll talk to a psychiatrist (a doctor who specializes in mental health). When you first start taking medication, you’ll check in with the doctor often to talk about how the medication is working. You may need to try a few different medications to find one that works.
Medications can treat PTSD symptoms alone or with therapy — but only therapy treats the underlying cause of your symptoms. If you treat your PTSD symptoms only with medication, you’ll need to keep taking it for it to keep working.
Observing National PTSD Awareness Month
Educate yourself on the symptoms of PTSD
Learn what the symptoms and causes of PTSD can look like, and understand resources and treatments that can be offered to someone struggling. After you’re familiar with the illness, try going to the National Center for PTSD’s website and take the pledge to raise PTSD awareness.
Donate
An overwhelming percentage of those with PTSD are affiliated with the military. Combat can be a traumatic experience and cause PTSD, so there are many organizations set up to provide aid to veterans with PTSD. Some include Military with PTSD, Wounded Warrior Project, and Military OneSource.
Spread the word
According to the National Center for PTSD, one of the main purposes of PTSD Awareness Month is to spread the word about the disease to others. They recommend a variety of outreach ideas, from providing a sample blog post to suggesting asking a governor or local official to declare June as PTSD Awareness Month.
Sources:
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/awareness/index.asp