June is PTSD awareness month.
Those who have been diagnosed with PTSD prefer not to be seen by a psych nurse practitioner or psychiatrist or counselor. People who have PTSD do not want to relive the experience. Most will suffer in silence. Here are some tips that you can do to spread awareness for PTSD.
- Understand what PTSD is. Anyone can have PTSD. Posttraumatic stress disorder is a mental health problem that develops when one experiences or witnesses a life-threatening event like a natural disaster Like a hurricane, tornado, fire, earthquake or flooding. Some may have PTSD from a car accident, combat military trauma, or sexual assault. Some may have experienced trauma during childhood due to physical, emotional, sexual molestation. Some may have been bullied at a young age.
- It is normal for one to have feelings off anxiety. Some may have difficulty going about their normal day-to-day life. Some may have difficulty going back to work or school. Some may have upsetting memories or may feel on edge. This is normal in the acute stage of PTSD. Talk to a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Speak with a counselor or therapist. Talk to someone. Process the trauma.
- Symptoms of PTSD may be feelings of being on edge, jittery, and may have difficulty sleeping or concentrating. This is the hyperarousal symptom. Some may have thoughts of suicide. Some may have negative thoughts and may feel numb. Some people’s perspective may change that the world is not a safe place. For some people, it may be very difficult to be positive in life or express happiness.
- Some symptoms of PTSD may be avoidance. Some may isolate and withdraw from Families and loved ones. Some people who have PTSD do not want any reminders of the event. You may have memories that are triggered by a scent, music, loud noises. This may be very difficult.
- Some people who have PTSD may have nightmares, in unwelcome memories that can be anxiety producing. Some may have flashbacks. These nightmares and flashbacks may feel very real. One may be fearful to leave the home and isolate.
- Chronic PTSD is when there are disruptions in your life and you are not able to function. You isolate yourself. You have suicidal thoughts. You are not able to sleep. The symptoms lasted for a few months. Some who are not able to cope with PTSD symptoms may turn Negative coping skills such as excessive alcohol use. Some may have illicit substance use.
You are not alone. For statistics, at least half of Americans have had experiences from a traumatic event in their lives. Those who have had trauma, two in 10 women will develop PTSD and one in 10 men will develop PTSD.
They are different forms of treatment modalities for PTSD.
A psychiatric nurse practitioner can prescribe medications. Acute PTSD is best treated with a combination of medication management and talk therapy.
There are trauma-focused therapies that focus on the memory of the traumatic event. Some may want to do prolonged exposure therapy where you are exposed to feelings and situations that you have been avoiding which reminds you of trauma.
Cognitive Processing Therapy is a form of therapy where you can identify and change the negative thoughts that come after a Traumatic Event. Changing your worldview that where are you live in it’s a safe place and not dangerous.
EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy is a safe form of treatment that helps you process that trauma.
Some who have suffered PTSD want to be in a support group that has similar situations where there is an understanding of what it feels like to experience that trauma.
Medication management such as SSRI or SNRI helps relieve symptoms of PTSD. These selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors help raise the levels of serotonin in your brain.
If you have questions about how to make your life better and need support, please click on the link and make an appointment
