A Guide To Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

DECEMBER 28, 2013

Written by Julia Tortorice

Many people around the world associate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with soldiers returning from war. The horrors that soldiers experience on the battleground often do cause PTSD, but the disorder is not limited to soldiers. 

Anyone who has experienced trauma in their life can suffer from PTSD. Luckily, doctors have developed a comprehensive way of diagnosing PTSD and are able to provide effective treatments. Military personnel usually develop PTSD because they witness extreme violence during battles. Violence can also cause PTSD in children and non-military adults. For instance, a physically abused child or woman could display similar symptoms as a soldier returning from war.

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Nurses who work with patients experiencing PTSD should remain aware of how the disorder influences the patient's perception of their surroundings. Patients with PTSD could start reliving traumatic events, feeling the sensations of a panic attack, or become hyper aroused and irritable. Common treatments for PTSD can be used to quickly impact the ways patients respond to their surroundings. The amount of time it takes for patients to overcome the disorder often depends on the severity of trauma they have experienced.

Several treatment options have produced positive results in people struggling with PTSD. Some of the most useful treatment plans include Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), or Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). Doctors can also prescribe medications such as SSRIs or benzodiazepines. SSRIs help control mood disturbances by affecting the amount of serotonin in the brain. Benzodiazepines act like mild tranquilizers that prevent patients from having panic attacks.

Whether you have PTSD, live with someone experiencing PTSD, or you work in a healthcare environment where people might have PTSD, the below links could offer useful information.

• What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: An explanation of PTSD and how people get the disorder provided by the National Institute of Mental Health
• Military and PTSD Resources: List of sources for treating PTSD provided by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association
• PTSD Interventions: A long article from the US Department of Health's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on PTSD, its symptoms, how people develop it, and treatment options
• My Story of Survival: Battling PTSD: Success story of someone who struggled to overcome PTSD from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America
• Symptoms of PTSD: A list of PTSD Symptoms from the US Department of Veterans' Affairs.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: Easy-to-understand explanation of PTSD and related issues from the Mayo Clinic.
• PTSD in Children: A list of instances that could cause PTSD or acute stress disorder in children.
• Number of People With PTSD: A list of mental health disorders and the number of people experiencing them in the United States.
• National Center for PTSD: Comprehensive information from several sources that explain PTSD, diagnosing the disorder, treatment options, and living with someone who has PTSD.
• What is PTSD? The neurology of PTSD as presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness
• Easy PTSD Diagnosis: DSM-5 makes it easier for professionals to diagnose PTSD.
• PTSD's Surprisingly Positive Flipside: Soldiers who return home with PTSD could have positive experience with proper treatment:.