Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Many people will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime however most people recover from this after a few weeks. Some people may react in a more severe and lasting way, resulting in a diagnosis of PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a relatively common condition that can develop in people after a traumatic or life threatening event.

The types of traumatic events that can cause PTSD can be divided into three types:

• being human-made disasters (such as war, terrorist attacks and violent crime),
• technological disasters (for example, mining accidents), and

• natural disasters (such as floods and bushfires).

Symptoms

While some emotional reaction to a traumatic event is normal, PTSD is an extreme and long-term reaction.

The symptoms of PTSD include

• persistently re-experiencing of the event (such as intrusive thoughts, dreams and flashbacks of the event),
• avoidance and numbing (trying to avoid thoughts, feelings and memories of the event and a decreased interest in significant events or people), and

• aggitation or iritability (anxiety, moodiness and trouble sleeping).

These symptoms continue after the event and cause problems in the person’s social life, school or work.

When to seek help

Not all people who experience trauma require treatment.  Most are able to recover with the help of family and friends.  However, if the event was especially severe, or the person had other problems in their life at the time, survivors may need professional help to recover and restore their well-being.  A range of mental health professionals can assist.

Signs to look for if a person is suffering from post-traumatic stress:

• problems which are severe or last for more than one month
• constantly on edge or irritable
• difficulty responding emotionally to others
• increasingly using alcohol or other drugs
• becoming unusually busy to avoid dealing with issues

• having a strong need to share experiences, but no-one is available or able to listen