Understanding PTSD

Hello. Talking about PTSD is getting more common these days. Many people are realising what they experience is a form of trauma. Trauma comes from many different sources and in the past it was experienced and understood to be connected to battle fatigue that those in the armed forces experienced. It was seen as something people obtained through seeing war time battles and horrors.

Now we know that it can happen in so many other ways. Domestic violence, child abuse, car accidents, workplace bullying and so on. Trauma affects people differently and especially whether it happened in childhood or adulthood. When a child and experiencing abuse it shapes the developing brain. And so creates a chronically activated sympathetic nervous system response of fight or flight and can lead to other health issues.

This does not diminish its effects if you experienced it as an adult and is no less painful. There are also many different ways it affects people. Different symptoms and different ways of dealing with it. We should make an effort, especially if we have never experienced PTSD, to not talk down or patronise people with this condition. There is a need to just listen and understand not an opportunity to 'teach'.

There are many symptoms with PTSD and there are sometimes concomitant symptoms such as anxiety and panic attacks. There are three levels of severity in this condition. The first being hyperarousal where our senses are on full alert. We jump at loud noises and seem vigilant. Then theres the intrusion phase where is impacts on our lives even our decisions of where to go and who to be with. Then the constriction phase where it seriously impacts on everything we do and limits us in order to avoid anymore pain. Nightmares, flashbacks and sadness. Please if you are suicidal or depressed and needing urgent care you can call LIfeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.