Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops in people that have been exposed to a life-threatening situation. If you’ve gone through a traumatic experience, it’s normal to experience emotions of fear, helplessness, guilt, shame, or anger. If those feelings persist for over a month, you’re likely to have PTSD. Seven or eight out of every 100 people will experience PTSD at some point in their life. 

PTSD can develop from a wide variety of situations: a car accident, military combat, natural disasters, domestic violence, rape, unexpected death of a friend or relative, or children who are neglected or abused. 

What does PTSD feel like?

For most people that experience PTSD, the symptoms begin immediately after the traumatic event, lasting for over a month. Other people may not have symptoms for years after. Some people are able to recover within six months, while others will continue to have symptoms for the long-term. Some of the common symptoms that occur include: 

• Constantly reliving the trauma or thinking about it all the time.

• Being alert or on guard at all times

• Feeling intense fear, shortness of breath, panic 

• Avoiding any reminders of the experience

• Loss of trust in others

• Feeling irritable 

• Trouble concentrating 

• Trouble sleeping  

• Feeling detached or hopeless

These are just some of the symptoms that you may feel, and PTSD will look different in every individual. PTSD can make you feel a wide variety of emotions. Those feelings can lead to extreme symptoms, which can, in turn, lead to thoughts of suicide or death. 

How to live with PTSD?

Since PTSD is considered a form of anxiety, the treatment process is very similar. By addressing the thoughts and reactions that occur in your mind and body, you can relearn how to be around the things that relate to the trauma. 

Talk about it

For PTSD, a support group can be an amazing resource for you to connect with other individuals going through similar experiences. There are support groups that meet on a regular basis in order to help you feel less alone in your situation. Sharing what you’re going through can be very healing, and you may learn from other's experiences, as well.

Therapy

Therapy can be an amazing resource to help you work through the symptoms you’re experiencing with PTSD. It can help you work through your feelings towards the traumatic event and how it continues to impact your life. If you think that the cost of therapy won’t fit with your budget, here are five out-of-the-box ways to work therapy into your life.

Meditation

Meditation can also be a great way to calm your brain of the negative symptoms associated with PTSD. With commitment and practice, you can begin to assess your attitude towards whatever you’ve experienced, and to shift the negative thinking you may be experiencing. Meditation can help you create some space between those thoughts and your reactions. If you’re ready to give meditation a try, use these 10 easy steps to meditation as a guide to get started.

A healthy lifestyle

While a healthy lifestyle may not heal your trauma, it can definitely help the healing process. Eating a healthy diet, drinking more water, exercising regularly, and getting a good night’s rest can help when you’re dealing with PTSD. Just general lifestyle changes can be a really powerful tool to help take time for yourself and improve your overall well-being. 

Medication

Sometimes, none of the above can help your PTSD in certain situations — and that’s ok! Antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications can help reduce feelings of fear, sadness or depressed mood, along with suicidal thoughts. Your doctor can help you decide if medication is the best route for you and what medication will help your depression in the most efficient way.

Take a free mental health screen

A mental health screen is a simple series of questions to help you check in with your mental health. Mental Health America’s online screening tool is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Your results aren’t a diagnosis, but they’re a great place to start and a baseline to figure out next steps. We encourage you to share them with your doctor so they can help you get any support you may need.