PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Chat Support Group
Introduction to PTSD
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an extremely debilitating
condition that can occur after exposure to a terrifying event
or ordeal in which grave physical harm was threatened or occurred.
Often, people with Post traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) have
persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and
feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close
to. Post traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ), once referred to
as shell shock or battle fatigue, was first brought to public
attention by war veterans, but it can result from any number of
traumatic incidents. These include kidnapping, serious accidents
such as car or train wrecks, natural disasters such as floods
or earthquakes, violent attacks such as a mugging, rape, or torture,
or being held captive. The event that triggers it may be something
that threatened the person's life or the life of someone close
to him or her. Or it could be something witnessed, such as mass
destruction after a plane crash.
Whatever the source of the problem, some people with Post traumatic
Stress Disorder ( PTSD ) repeatedly relive the trauma in the form
of nightmares and disturbing recollections during the day. They
may also experience sleep problems, depression, feeling detached
or numb, or being easily startled. They may lose interest in things
they used to enjoy and have trouble feeling affectionate. They
may feel irritable, more aggressive than before, or even violent.
Seeing things that remind them of the incident may be very distressing,
which could lead them to avoid certain places or situations that
bring back those memories. Anniversaries of the event are often
very difficult.
Ordinary events can serve as reminders of the trauma and trigger flashbacks
or intrusive images. A flashback may make the person lose touch with reality
and re-enact the event for a period of seconds or hours or, very rarely, days.
A person having a flashback, which can come in the form of images, sounds, smells,
or feelings, usually believes that the traumatic event is happening all over
again.
About 4% of the population will experience symptoms of Post traumatic stress
disorder ( PTSD ) in a given year.
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