Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, or who have been threatened with death, sexual violence or serious injury.

It's normal to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. The fear triggers a "fight-or-flight" response. It causes changes in the body such as the release of certain hormones and increases in alertness, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. PTSD is part of a group of mental illnesses called trauma and stressor-related disorders. It used to be part of a group called anxiety disorders.

People affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may feel anxious and highly vigilant, and have intrusive thoughts and memories of the trauma. It’s common to experience distressing memories and a feeling immediately after a traumatic event and from time to time as life goes on. However, for people living with PTSD, these intrusions last longer and disrupt your ability to function in day-to-day life.

PTSD may develop immediately after an unpleasant experience or may occur weeks, months or even years afterwards. Symptoms of the condition vary between individuals but one of the most common symptoms is experiencing nightmares or flashbacks of the traumatic experience that caused PTSD in the first place. This often leads to other problems such as feelings of despair, depression, low mood, irritation, guilt, isolation, difficulty sleeping or concentrating and confusion. These symptoms cause significant problems in social or work situations and in relationships.

They can also interfere with your ability to go about your normal daily tasks. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms are generally grouped into four types: Intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions.

In some cases, particularly where it is not treated, PTSD can last a very long time, perhaps the remainder of one’s life. Most people with longstanding PTSD find that the symptoms are not steady in their severity. For some people, PTSD symptoms gradually fade over time. Other people find that symptoms may increase when they encounter reminders of their traumatic events.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is caused by traumatic events. Memories of traumatic events are processed differently to other memories. They are not 'filed away' like most memories, and instead can come up unexpectedly with strong emotions. A traumatic event can change a person's idea of what is safe, meaning they are constantly on edge and anticipating danger. Going through a trauma can cause intense negative emotions that are hard to handle, and people can try to cope in ways that are ineffective or unsafe.

Psychotherapy Treatment

Psychotherapy is an effective treatment, and often the first treatment to try. There are several different types of therapy. There are several different types of therapy that can help to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) is most often recommended for PTSD. TF-CBT is a form of cognitive-behavioural therapy that specifically addresses trauma. It focuses on educating people so they understand trauma and PTSD and the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviours as well as teaching people healthy ways to cope and helping people process their traumatic experiences. Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) also includes approaches like exposure therapy.

Exposure therapy is a type of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) that helps people talk about their trauma and begin to do things they avoid as a result of trauma.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) involve thinking about trauma while noticing sensations like eye movements or tapping. It helps people reduce distress around trauma and process traumatic memories.

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