PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) causes persistent flashbacks, nightmares, and fearful memories of the traumatic experience an individual went through. It also causes one to avoid anything that reminds them of the trauma. Although over half of the population generally reports experiencing one or more traumatic less than a fifth develop PTSD.

Symptoms of PTSD can escalate to more serious mental health issues such as anxiety and panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, and feelings of isolation. It can also affect functioning by preventing an individual from completing daily tasks.

PTSD symptoms are grouped into four clusters:

• Intrusions: Distressing and recurring memories, nightmares, and flashbacks

• Avoidance: Avoiding situations or people that trigger the traumatic memory, and avoiding thinking and talking about it

• Negative thoughts or mood: Symptoms such as negative thoughts about the world and themselves, hopelessness, lack of interest or positive emotions, emotional numbness, and withdrawal from friends and family

• Arousal: Changes in reactions such as being startled or scared easily, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, self-destructiveness, hypervigilance (being on guard), angry and aggressive outbursts

Other symptoms include sleep problems, head- and stomach-aches, and issues in school. These symptoms must last for more than one month and must cause interference in different areas of someone’s life for diagnosis. They must also not be due to any other condition. PTSD symptoms are far more common in women than men.

For children below 6 years, symptoms may also include nightmares of the traumatic event and re-enacting the traumatic event through play.