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Explanation and Causes:

Post traumatic stress disorder is a mental condition that follows a horrifying or traumatic event. The event can involve the patient or someone else where the patient was a witness of the event. There are different degrees of PTSD ranging from mild changes in thinking and behavior to drastic personality alterations and even to where the patient can no longer function in life due to intense fear or helplessness. More women than men are effected by PTSD and symptoms can present for weeks to months after the actual event.

Symptoms:

• Flashbacks or nightmares
• Avoidance of people or places
• Feeling Jittery
• Feeling Agitated
• Insomnia
• Loss of interest in normal things they used to care about
• Inability to recall or talk about event
• Sadness
• Guilt
• Depression
• Poor relationships
• Being easily distracted

Diagnosis and Tests:

People who develop this disorder have to have the symptoms for a month or longer to be diagnosed with PTSD. This is according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Treatment:

Treatments consist of ways to help the patient resolve the event in their mind by giving the coping skills and techniques on how to gain control over the event. Some therapies include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Talk therapy

Treatment can last from 3 months to several years.

Prevention: