Topic of The Month: PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder, better known as PTSD, is a mental health condition that is triggered by an event.  That event is considered scary or horrible, it is either experienced or witnessed.  For most people, it is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation.  Most everyone  will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally.  Those who continue to experience problems may be diagnosed with PTSD.  People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened, even when they are not in danger.

It is important to remember that not everyone who lives through a dangerous event develops PTSD. In fact, most people will not develop the disorder.  Symptoms usually begin early, within 3 months of the traumatic incident, but sometimes they begin years afterward. Symptoms must last more than a month and be severe enough to interfere with relationships or work to be considered PTSD.

According to the National Center for PTSD, about 7 or 8 out of every 100 people will experience  PTSD at some point in their lives. Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men, and genes may make some people more likely to develop PTSD than others.

There are four categories that symptoms of PTSD fall into.  In a later blog, there will be more specific details on each category, but they are intrusion, avoidance, alterations in cognition & mood, and alterations in arousal & reactivity. 

We will also cover the many different treatment options, both traditional & holistic.