Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

What is post-traumatic stress disorder?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition which develops after you have been involved in, or witnessed, a serious trauma such as a life-threatening assault. During the trauma you feel intense fear, helplessness or horror. In some people PTSD develops soon after the trauma. However, in some cases the symptoms first develop several months, or even years, after the trauma.

What are the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder?

• Recurring thoughts, memories, images, dreams, or flashbacks of the trauma which are distressing.
• You try to avoid thoughts, conversations, places, people, activities or anything which may trigger memories of the trauma, as these make you distressed or anxious.
• Feeling emotionally numb and feeling detached from others. You may find it difficult to have loving feelings.
• Your outlook for the future is often pessimistic. You may lose interest in activities which you used to enjoy and find it difficult to plan for the future.
• Increased arousal which you did not have before the trauma. This may include:
  • Difficulty in getting off to sleep or staying asleep.
  • Being irritable which may include outbursts of anger.
  • Difficulty concentrating.
  • Increased vigilance.
  • Being more easily startled than you were before.
  
  
   Medication
  
  Antidepressant medicines are often prescribed. These are commonly used to treat depression but have been found to help reduce the main symptoms of PTSD even if you are not depressed. They work by interfering with brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) such as serotonin which may be involved in causing symptoms.
  Antidepressants take 2-4 weeks before their effect builds up and can take up to three months. A common problem is that some people stop the medicine after a week or so as they feel that it is doing no good. You need to give an antidepressant time to work. If one does help, it is usual to stay on the medication for 6-12 months, sometimes longer.