Invisible Wounds: PTSD

INVISIBLE POST- TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER WOUNDS WHAT IS PTSD? Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental OTHER NAMES FOR PTSD health condition triggered by a traumatic event. It can include symptoms such as nightmares, extreme anxiety and flashbacks. Nostalgia Estar Roto - Spanish for "to be broken" Soldier's Heart Shell Shock Battle Fatigue WHAT CAN CAUSE PTSD? Combat exposure Childhood sexual or physical abuse Natural disasters (fire, flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake) Sexual or physical assault Serious accidents (car wreck, plane crash) Terrorist attack Whether or not you get PTSD depends on a few factors: Intensity of the trauma IT IS UNKNOWN WHY Length of the trauma Degree of personal injury SOME PEOPLE DEVELOP Proximity to event PTSD WHILE OTHERS Individual control of the events Amount of help and support obtained after the trauma DO NOT IN HISTORY: DCNOC ANDSISION DSM II THE BIBLE: JOB DSM-III-R In the Book of Job, Job appears to suffer from mental disturbance The term "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" didn't enter our vocabulary until the 1980's, when it appeared after his traumatic experiences in the DSM-III THE ILLIAD Some experts believe that Homer describes PTSD when Ajax goes crazy from “Athena's spell," slaughters a herd of sheep that he thought were AMERICAN CIVIL WAR the enemy and then kills himself Soldiers suffered from "irritable heart" or "Da Costa's Syndrome": Shortness of breath, chest discomfort and pounding palpitations with no known medical cause. WI Shell Shock: Soldiers often hid it as it was seen as embarrassing and weak WWII "Shell shock" was seen as a "lack of moral fiber" By the end of WW, "shell shock" was renamed "battle fatigue," “combat exhaustion," or "war stress" VIETNAM WAR A group of anti-war psychiatrists developed a new 18.7% diagnostic concept to describe the psychological impact of the war "Post-Vietnam Syndrome" Characterized by "growing apathy, cynicism, alienation, OF VIETNAM VETERANS depression, mistrust and expectation of betrayal as well as an inability to concentrate, insomnia, nightmares, restlessness, uprootedness, and impatience with almost SUFFERED FROM PTSD any job or course of study." 34% of Oklahoma City bombing survivors developed PTSD 4 TYPES OF PTSD SYMPTOMS Reliving the event Avoiding situations that remind you of the event Bad memories or nightmares Avoiding situations or people that trigger memories of the trauma Feeling like you're going through the trauma again Avoiding talking or thinking about the trauma Flashbacks Negative changes in beliefs and feelings Hyperarousal A change in the way you think about yourself or others Being jittery or always alert Feelings of fear, guilt or shame Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy Always on the lookout for danger Trouble sleeping or concentrating HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE LIVING WITH PTSD? 10.4% of women (estimated) 5% of men (estimated) It is estimated that 7.8% of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives Annually, Since 9/11, 5.2 MILLION of treated veterans coming home from Iraq 30% and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with of U.S. adults (18-52) have PTSD, according to The Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD i... Less than 40% seek help THE NUMBER OF DEATHS FOR ACTIVE DUTY SOLDIERS in June 2012 SUICIDES: 154 That's a rate of one suicide almost every day COMBAT: 124 In Afghanistan TREATMENT PTSD is treated with psychotherapy and medication Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Medication Patient learns skills to help them understand how trauma has changed their thoughts and feelings An antidepressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) is effective for PTSD The medication Prazosin has been found to be helpful in decreasing nightmares L Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) Patient talks about his or her trauma repeatedly until the memories are no longer upsetting RECOGNIZE THE SIGNSOF PTSD National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)* *PRESS 1 for Veterans Crisis Line Sources: ptsd.va.gov ptsd.ne.gov/what-is-ptsd.html ptsdusa.org/what-is-ptsd/the-statistics frumforum.com/from-shell-shock-to-post-traumatic-stress-disorder nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml helpguide.org/mental/post_traumatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704913304575371130876271708 nytimes.com/2012/06/09/us/suicides-eclipse-war-deaths-for-us-troops.html?_r-0 thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/21/nearly-30-of-vets-treated-by-v-a-have-ptsd.html io9.com/5898560/from-irritable-heart-to-shellshock-how-post+traumatic-stress-became-a-disease mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/basics/definition/CON-20022540 BESTMASTERSINCOUNSELING.COM N NOWSOURCING