It had over eighty names throughout history. In 1678, it was called nostalgia when soldiers became restless, sad, solitary, talked to themselves and stopped paying attention. It was again baptised as homesickness and irritable heart. Then it became neurasthenia and hysteria, defined in 1890. But the common denominator of all these terms is that it described the long term effects of trauma, whether it was because a person saw the violence of war or because a person became a victim of a terrible crime, among others.
When the official term for long term trauma entered the vocabulary in 1980, so did the many interventions designed to manage the condition. In recent years, telepsychiatry for post-traumatic stress disorder is used to bridge connections and treat hard to reach patients and contact further support. But let us take a look at the syndrome itself in order to understand and to determine whether someone we know needs help.
Getting hurt firsthand is the first factor to consider if someone is at risk. Being a witness to a horrible, scary event, and living through a dangerous disaster are also part of the criteria. Having feelings of helplessness, experiencing extreme anxiety and fear, and having minimal social support after the traumatic situation will further increase the risk. Resiliency factors consist of having a coping strategy when faced with danger, being able to effectively react and respond to danger, and having enough social support.
As the psychological well being of a person is innate as much as it is environmental, genes play a crucial role in determining if an individual is at risk. Stathmin is a protein found in our genes that elicits the making of fear memories. Researchers have also found out that a version of the 5 HTTLPR gene control the production of serotonin, the hormone that fuels the fear response.
Certain brain areas are also in charge of dealing with trauma and fear. When we our afraid, our amygdala takes care of what kind of emotion, learning, and memory will be produced. Meanwhile, when it comes to judgment and resolutions, our prefrontal cortex acts as the frontier. Studying genes and the human brain is the key to unlocking the probability of PTSD before it can be developed or triggered.
Diagnosis requires one re experiencing symptom, two hyperarousal and three avoidance symptoms. Re experiencing symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, and scary thoughts may affect the person daily, such that it would drastically intervene in the life of the afflicted. Objects, words, and certain situations may trigger these symptoms.
Becoming detached to the things a person is previously attached to is a sign of avoidance. The patient may also repress the memory and would have trouble remembering the event. Avoiding anything that will remind them of the trauma, indifference, guilt, anxiety, and depression, are also avoidance signs.
Hyperarousal symptoms consist of always feeling on the edge, tension, being surprised or startled easily, experiencing outbursts, and insomnia. These are constant symptoms and do not need triggers to happen. A person with PTSD may have trouble accomplishing daily tasks such as sleeping, concentrating, and even eating. Because these signs are normal after a tragic event, they can be called acute stress disorder rather than PTSD.
When a person has passed the criteria and has been diagnosed, CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy is often used as an intervention. Medical treatments consist of paroxetine and sertraline, the only approved drugs for PTSD. In the event that there is a known catastrophe, it is important to have the victims undergo critical incident stress debriefing as soon as possible to prevent the onset of PTSD.
When the official term for long term trauma entered the vocabulary in 1980, so did the many interventions designed to manage the condition. In recent years, telepsychiatry for post-traumatic stress disorder is used to bridge connections and treat hard to reach patients and contact further support. But let us take a look at the syndrome itself in order to understand and to determine whether someone we know needs help.
Getting hurt firsthand is the first factor to consider if someone is at risk. Being a witness to a horrible, scary event, and living through a dangerous disaster are also part of the criteria. Having feelings of helplessness, experiencing extreme anxiety and fear, and having minimal social support after the traumatic situation will further increase the risk. Resiliency factors consist of having a coping strategy when faced with danger, being able to effectively react and respond to danger, and having enough social support.
As the psychological well being of a person is innate as much as it is environmental, genes play a crucial role in determining if an individual is at risk. Stathmin is a protein found in our genes that elicits the making of fear memories. Researchers have also found out that a version of the 5 HTTLPR gene control the production of serotonin, the hormone that fuels the fear response.
Certain brain areas are also in charge of dealing with trauma and fear. When we our afraid, our amygdala takes care of what kind of emotion, learning, and memory will be produced. Meanwhile, when it comes to judgment and resolutions, our prefrontal cortex acts as the frontier. Studying genes and the human brain is the key to unlocking the probability of PTSD before it can be developed or triggered.
Diagnosis requires one re experiencing symptom, two hyperarousal and three avoidance symptoms. Re experiencing symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, and scary thoughts may affect the person daily, such that it would drastically intervene in the life of the afflicted. Objects, words, and certain situations may trigger these symptoms.
Becoming detached to the things a person is previously attached to is a sign of avoidance. The patient may also repress the memory and would have trouble remembering the event. Avoiding anything that will remind them of the trauma, indifference, guilt, anxiety, and depression, are also avoidance signs.
Hyperarousal symptoms consist of always feeling on the edge, tension, being surprised or startled easily, experiencing outbursts, and insomnia. These are constant symptoms and do not need triggers to happen. A person with PTSD may have trouble accomplishing daily tasks such as sleeping, concentrating, and even eating. Because these signs are normal after a tragic event, they can be called acute stress disorder rather than PTSD.
When a person has passed the criteria and has been diagnosed, CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy is often used as an intervention. Medical treatments consist of paroxetine and sertraline, the only approved drugs for PTSD. In the event that there is a known catastrophe, it is important to have the victims undergo critical incident stress debriefing as soon as possible to prevent the onset of PTSD.
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