With the growing population, unemployment, and advancements, crime rates are soaring frequently. Any kind of crime or accident can happen to anyone at any time. Different persons have different capabilities to tackle such situations. Some of you may forget such events but some others may keep such memories permanently with them.
Any unexpected and painful event in your life can distress you. Such unpleasant events are stuck in your memories to remind you of the pain at regular intervals. It leaves you with a feeling of being unsafe and insecure in the world. This disrupts your normal lifestyle and you prefer to stay alone all the time.
You will always be surrounded by negative thoughts and memories. If it persists for a longer time, it can cause mental instability. You may suffer from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which requires Compass Pathways PTSD treatment. At Compass Pathways, the entire team is dedicated to providing patient access to evidence-based innovations in mental health for improving patient mental health.
What is PTSD? What are its causes and symptoms?
PTSD is a mental health disorder that may develop in people after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. This event can be dangerous, life-threatening, unpleasant, or horrific. This can be emotionally or physically harmful to affect the mental, physical, social, and spiritual well-being of the person.
You may develop PTSD either by witnessing or self-experiencing a traumatic incident happening. It may also develop by knowing that a traumatic event happened to a friend or loved one. The traumatic event may include serious accidents, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, war, rape, sexual assault, child abuse, any historical trauma, drug abuse, intimate partner violence, and bullying.
PTSD patients may experience intense feelings and disturbing thoughts related to their experience. They may possibly experience the event again through nightmares or flashbacks. They will always feel sad, fearful, angry, shameful, irritated, or estranged. Other symptoms may include self-destructive behaviour, distorted dream, and involuntary memory. Patients may also avoid situations that trigger to remind them of the traumatic event.
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Why does PTSD symptom develop?
As per suggestions, PTSD symptoms develop as a result of an instinctive mechanism intended to help you survive future traumatic events. It occurs to remind you of the event in detail to prepare you better to react against such an occurrence.
Some studies prove that PTSD patients have abnormal levels of stress hormones even when there is no danger. This may be the reason for the dull emotions and agitations. Also, the size of the brain part responsible for emotions and memory is small. This leads to brain malfunctioning which may lead to prolonged anxiety after the flashbacks.
What are PTSD treatments?
For mild symptoms that last for less than a month, you may not need any PTSD treatment. However, for complex PTSD symptoms, medications and therapies can help to control them.
They can help your body to produce more substances to manage stress and emotional levels.
Some therapies may include –
- Cognitive processing therapy – This method identifies painful negative emotions, thoughts and beliefs about the traumatic event and helps the patients confront them.
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing – You are asked to think about the aspects of the traumatic event while the therapist plays specific sound or movements. After a few therapies, you will find that the event does not upset you over time.
- Prolonged exposure therapy – This method encourages you to discuss the thoughts and feelings associated with the event in a safe and controlled environment. It will help you to speak and discuss the event and brings you back to your normal lifestyle.
Some antidepressants like Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are commonly used to treat PTSD symptoms like anxiety, agitation, nightmares, and sleeping problems.
