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Post-traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Category
Anxiety
Disorders
Etiology
By
definition, PTSD always follows a traumatic event which causes intense
fear and/or helplessness in an individual. Typically the symptoms
develop shortly after the event, but may take years. The duration
for symptoms is at least one month for this diagnosis.
Symptoms
Symptoms
include re-experiencing the trauma through nightmares, obsessive thoughts,
and flashbacks (feeling as if you are actually in the traumatic situation
again). There is an avoidance component as well, where the
individual avoids situations, people, and/or objects which remind him or
her about the traumatic event (e.g., a person experiencing PTSD after a
serious car accident might avoid driving or being a passenger in a
car). Finally, there is increased anxiety in general, possibly with
a heightened startle response (e.g., very jumpy, startle easy by noises).
Treatment
Psychological
treatment is considered the most effective means to recovery from PTSD,
although some medications (such as antianxiety meds) can help alleviate
some symptoms during the treatment process.
Prognosis
Prognosis
ranges from moderate to very good. Those with the best prognosis
include situations where the traumatic event was acute or occurred only
one time (e.g., car accident) rather than chronic, or on-going trauma
(e.g., ongoing sexual abuse, war).
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