PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) and CPTSD (Complex PTSD) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event. Such as, combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, sexual assault, childhood abuse or sexual assault, being the victim of a crime, physical assault, workplace accidents. During this kind of event, you may not have any control over what’s happening. You may have felt very afraid. Anyone who has gone through something like this can develop PTSD or Complex PTSD. (The rest of this article will use the term PTSD to refer to both experiences.)
It’s normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after a traumatic event. Initially, it may be hard to do daily activities, like go to work, uni or school, or spend time with people you care about. Most people start to feel better after a few weeks or months. If it’s been longer than a few months and thoughts and feelings from the trauma are upsetting you or causing problems in your life, you may have PTSD.
For some people, PTSD symptoms may start later, seemingly out of the blue. For others they may come and go over time. Sometimes feeling like you have a handle or a lid on it only to find it comes back.
If your experience of traumatic circumstances started in childhood, it may be difficult to identify a period when it started. It may feel like it was all the time. You may have been living with the symptoms for a very long time. Sometimes people conclude that PTSD is them.
Who Develops PTSD?
Anyone can develop PTSD at any age. Some factors can increase the chance that someone will have PTSD. Many of these are not under that person’s control. For example, having a very intense or long-lasting traumatic event or getting injured during the event can make it more likely that a person will develop PTSD. PTSD is also more common after certain types of trauma, like combat and sexual assault.
Personal factors—like previous traumatic exposure, age, and gender can affect the development of PTSD. What happens after the traumatic event is also important. Stress can make PTSD more likely. Social support can make it less likely.
What Are the Symptoms of PTSD?
PTSD symptoms usually start soon after a traumatic event. Sometimes they may not appear until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer than a month, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work, education or home life, you might have PTSD.
There are 4 types of PTSD symptoms, but they may not be exactly the same for everyone. Each person experiences symptoms in their own way.
- Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms).Memories of the traumatic event can come back at any time. They can feel very real and scary. For example:
- Feeling like you are going through the event again. This is called a flashback.
- Being triggered to relive the event by things you see, hear, or smell. These triggers include many things. Some examples, depending on the trauma are:
- hearing news reports
- seeing an accident
- hearing fireworks
- the smell of aftershave
- the smell of oil or fuel
- Avoiding things that remind you of the event. You may try to avoid situations or people who remind you of the trauma. You may even avoid talking or thinking about the event. For example:
- Avoiding crowds because they feel dangerous
- Avoiding driving if you were in a car accident
- If you were in an bushfire, you may avoid watching movies about natural disasters or with fire in them
- You may keep very busy or avoid getting help so you don’t have to think or talk about the event
- Having more negative thoughts and feelings than before the event. The way you think about yourself, and others may become more negative because of the trauma. For example:
- Feeling numb—unable to have positive or loving feelings toward other people—and lost interest in things you used to enjoy
- Forgetting parts of the traumatic event or not be able to talk about them
- Thinking the world is completely dangerous, and no one can be trusted
- Feeling guilt or shame about the event, wishing you had done more to keep it from happening
- Feeling on edge or keyed up (also called hyperarousal). You may be jumpy, or always alert and on the lookout for danger. You might suddenly become angry or irritable. For example:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating
- Being easily startled by a loud noise or surprise
- Acting in unhealthy ways, like smoking, abusing drugs or alcohol, or driving aggressively
Do People With PTSD Get Better?
After a traumatic event, it’s normal to think, act, and feel differently than usual. But most people start to feel better after a few weeks or months. You should seek professional help if your symptoms:
- Last longer than a few months
- Are very upsetting
- Disrupt your daily life
“Getting better” means different things for different people. There are many different treatment options for PTSD. For many people, these treatments can get rid of symptoms altogether. Others find they have fewer symptoms or feel that their symptoms are less intense. Your symptoms don’t have to interfere with your everyday activities, work, and relationships.
What Treatments Are Available?
At the Centre for Clinical psychology, we focus on Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). In this therapy you learn skills to understand how trauma changed your beliefs, thoughts and feelings. Changing how you think about the trauma can change how you feel.
There are other trauma-focused therapies that are proven to treat PTSD. Medication is also effective. Sometimes people combine therapy and medication.
Trauma-Focused Therapy
Trauma-focused therapies are the most highly recommended treatment for PTSD. “Trauma-focused” means, that the treatment focuses on the memory of the traumatic event or its meaning. The 3 most effective types of trauma-focused psychotherapy are:
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Prolonged Exposure (PE)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Medications for PTSD
Certain medications can be effective for treating PTSD symptoms. You should discuss this with your general practitioner or a psychiatrist.
