How to Deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious mental condition wherein a person suffers flashback episodes of traumatic events that happened in the past. PTSD may affect anyone regardless of age. A person doesn’t have to be physically hurt in order to acquire PTSD; he could also witness other people being hurt, murdered or physically abused and develop PTSD as well

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects both men and women, young and old. A young child riding on a car driven by a reckless driver may develop PTSD and avoid riding a vehicle. A war veteran may be suffering from PTSD as a result of his war experiences; and a teen-ager may develop PTSD as a result of embarrasing moments in school such as being bullied in class or being laughed at by schoolmates during class recitations or presentations.

PTSD may occur as a result of the following tragic events:

• Car accidents
• Physical injury or abuse
• Hurricane or typhoon
• Fire
• Violence
• Robbery
• Death or serious illnesses of a loved one
• Broken relationship
• Embarassing and humiliating incidents, and
• War

• Frequent bad dreams
• Excessive worrying
• Guilty feelings
• Avoiding a certain place or event
• Flashback thoughts of the past
• Insomnia or trouble in sleeping
• Thoughts of hurting oneself
• Uncontrolled thoughts

You can feel better because PTSD can be treated. If you observed the symptoms mentioned above, consult your physician; he can help you with your problem by assessing other health problems, If no other health problems are found, your doctor may refer you to a mental health specialist for further treatment. In most cases, a combination of both medicines and psychotherapy are prescribed to people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

For psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy may be given to help the patient cope with the situation. In some cases, exposure therapy are also used under supervision and guide the patient on how to overcome and control the situation. It is also best to do some relaxation techniques and other natural methods of treatment for such mental health disorder. Just ensure to give this mental illness proper medical attention as it may also lead to other complications like panic attacks, phobias, anxiety disorder and depression.

With proper treatment, PTSD are generally overcome and completely eliminated over time. The most crucial part of treatment is on early stage of development right after the tragic event that caused the PTSD to occur.