For quite a long time Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, was thought to be caused only by extreme stressful situations, like being in combat in war. However, in the 80′s researchers realized that sexual abuse also can result in PTSD symptoms. Likewise, other sorts of significant stressful situations, such as being in a really bad car accident can cause PTSD.
Other kinds of events that can cause PTSD include:
- Combat exposure
- Rape
- Childhood neglect or physical abuse
- Sexual molestation
- Physical attack
- Being threatened with a weapon
- Fire
- Mugging, robbery or assault
- Natural disaster
- Civil conflict
- Car accident
- Plane crash
- Torture
- Kidnapping
- Life-threatening medical diagnosis
- Terrorist attack
Dr. Molly Allen explains there are several types of PTSD symptoms. “They include hyper vigilance, flashbacks, social withdrawal, bad dreams, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, or anger outbursts.” Because PTSD symptoms can come and go, it is possible have more when things are stressful in general, or when you run into reminders of what you went through. You may hear a car backfire and relive combat experiences. Or you may see a report on the news about a rape and feel overcome by memories of your own assault. Additionally, Dr. Allen says “some odd PTSD symptoms have to do with experiencing a ‘foreshortened future orientation,’ that is, PTSD-sufferers sometimes tell therapists they have a sense that they will not live long. Until they compare these perceptions to others, they often feel like they are the only one that experiences this symptom.”
Dr. Molly Allen explains her type of therapy for PTSD: “Often, what I use with PTSD seems counter to what the patient has believed would help. That is, I have them verbally walk through the trauma, in order to demystify the situation, and to desensitize the patient from the trauma they have avoided dealing with. Sometimes,” she continues, “patients do not want to come back, since they have avoided thinking about, talking about, or considering the trauma, but I usually explain that the only way to get past it is to get through it. I also advise patients to get on a healthy schedule of sleep, eating, work or school, leisure, social life, etc, so they can take care of the ‘body-basics’ to give them strength. We usually use some Cognitive Behavioral or Emotion Focused Therapy to validate some of their perceptions, and to debunk some of the ‘mythology’ they have developed about themselves. For example, some of the patients have the mistaken notion that they will always feel in emotional pain – when research tells us that with appropriate treatment they can experience significant relief from symptoms.” And Dr. Allen says support groups can help, too. “Some patients,” she says, “benefit from participation in support groups ‘in vivo’, or on-line. Particularly, patients who have served in military combat situations or civilian sorts of jobs in firefighting or police work tend to come from a particular culture that outsiders do not understand.”
As for medication, Dr. Allen is cautious. “I do refer out for medication management,” says, “particularly the use of antidepressants, but I try to get patients to be very sparing in their use of sleeping pills and anxiety medications, since there is a temptation to overuse these drugs. I also routinely question ongoing PTSD patients about the use of other mind-numbing practices such as drugs and alcohol, shopping, gambling or compulsive sexual habits.”
Dr. Allen stresses that “Each patient is different; there is no cookie cutter approach. The best bet is to get them talking early, get in touch with appropriate supports, and get back to living their life.”
