What is post traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD )?
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that is classified in the DSM-IV anxiety disorders. The condition arises due to severe stressful situations in which there is life threatening, serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity. These situations are traumatic for the person.
Examples are:
- War, civil war and other armed conflicts (shell shock, battle fatigue and concentration camp syndrome)
- Violent attacks, aggression or threats (eg. Domestic violence, assaults, robberies, torture)
- Rape, sexual abuse or incest.
- Child abuse in childhood or to date (eg. Physical abuse, neglect, or emotional / psychological abuse)
- Traffic accident
Symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD )
The symptoms include re-experiencing (nightmares or flashbacks), avoidance of reminders or emotional disconnection hereof, severe irritability and sleep disturbances, extreme stress due to certain stimuli, irritation and severe shock reactions. It is also possible that the person exhibits symptoms of other mental disorders, such as clinical depression. PTSD occurs when symptoms last longer than a month. When these shorter than take a month, one speaks of acute stress disorder. PTSD is curable with treatment or improve. Sometimes this can also happen spontaneously. It may also occur that there are phenomena of catatonia, may occur as a symptom.
Division
post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder, and should not be confused with the normal treatment process after a traumatic event. For most people the emotional impact of a trauma after a few months. However, these last longer, there may be a mental illness. If the disorder is not treated, it can take very serious.
Treatment for post traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD )
The customary treatment consists of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which include working to resolve and reduce the anxiety by means of imaginary exposure to reminders of the traumatic event and exposure through exposure in vivo. Furthermore, prescribing a diverse spectrum of medication to suppress the symptoms of anxiety; antidepressants, sleeping pills and anxiety drugs (benzodiazepines).
Besides CBT with imaginal exposure are other psychological treatments proven effective. All active treatments for PTSD trauma focused and agree that one goes back in thought to the traumatic event. BEPP (Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for PTSD) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) are alternatives to CBT. In addition BEPP is imaginary exposure also time spent on information about the disease PTSD. After experiencing a traumatic event, one is never the same person as before. One learns because of the event. Therefore, attention is also paid in BEPP how the traumatic event the self-image and the look has changed the world. BEPP was originally developed for the treatment of police officers with PTSD. This treatment also proved effective in others. EMDR is in addition to the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder in adults are also effective in treating children. It is said that EMDR works faster than other psychological therapies for PTSD. However, there is no conclusive scientific evidence. It appears that the treatment time per session varies between therapies. Therapy sessions usually take place once a week and the duration is 1.5 hours per session with EMDR and other therapies 45 minutes to an hour. On several scientific institutes are experimenting or treating PTSD can be accelerated by offering more sessions per week.