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Wednesday, June 23, 2010
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Child Abuse Info
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
An Overview
Common Symptoms
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a natural emotional reaction to a deeply shocking and disturbing experience. It is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined in DSM-IV, the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. For a doctor or medical professional to be able to make a diagnosis, the condition must be defined in DSM-IV or its international equivalent, the World Health Organization's ICD-10.
There is growing recognition (among professionals) that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can result from many types of emotionally shocking experiences, including an accumulation of small, individually non-life-threatening events in which case the resultant PTSD is referred to as Complex PTSD.
Examples of accumulative trauma inducing PTSD can include:
- repeated exposure to horrific scenes at accidents or fires, such as those endured by members of the emergency services (e.g. bodies mutilated in car crashes, or horribly burnt or disfigured by fire, or dismembered or disemboweled in airplane disasters, etc)
- repeated involvement in dealing with serious crime, e.g. where violence has been used and especially where children are hurt
- breaking news of bereavement caused by accident or violence, especially if children are involved in the incident
- repeated violations such as in verbal abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse (lasting for weeks, months or years)
- regular intrusion and violation, both physical and psychological, as in bullying, stalking, harassment, domestic violence, etc.
Where the symptoms are the result of a series of events, the term Complex PTSD (formerly referred to unofficially as Prolonged Duress Stress Disorder or PDSD) may be more appropriate.
Causes of PTSD
PTSD resulting from child abuse, accident, disaster, war, terrorism, torture, kidnapping, rape, etc., has been extensively studied and literature is available elsewhere. The first written reference to PTSD symptoms comes from the sixth century BC, continued through world wars in the "modern eara" and is very thoroughly described in today's medical / psychological literature.
Common symptoms of PTSD and Complex PTSD that sufferers report experiencing
- hyper-vigilance (on constant guard, feels like but is not paranoia)
- exaggerated startle response (instead of flinching, one leaps from the chair when a book falls to the floor)
- irritability (frequent or chronic)
- sudden angry or violent outbursts (that don't always match the circumstances)
- flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive recollections, replays, violent visualizations
- triggers (triggers to increased fears or flashbacks can be subtle, psychological links to past events: attacked in a park, fear of parks)
- sleep disturbance (trouble falling to sleep, staying asleep, or waking due to nightmares)
- exhaustion and chronic fatigue
- reactive depression
- guilt or shame (some victims feel guilty due to bad decisions they made, or feel shameful about the fact that they had mixed emotions about what happened)
- feelings of detachment (not feeling "connected" to things in your life like you previously felt)
- avoidance behaviors (withdrawing from friends, family, and activities that were previously enjoyed)
- nervousness, anxiety
- phobias about specific daily routines, events or objects (strange behaviors linked to the traumatizing event or circumstance)
- irrational or impulsive behavior (starting to act out by doing things that have previously been out of character, or seeking risky behavior)
- loss of interest (sudden failing grades, quitting sports, band, listening to music, etc., especially when it was a favorite previously)
- loss of ambition (diminished sense of personal future)
- anhedonia (inability to feel joy and pleasure- often described as a "numb" feeling, just going through the motions)
- poor concentration
- impaired memory
- joint pains, muscle pains (can sometimes arise from the muscular stress reactions to emotional stress factors)
- emotional numbness
- physical numbness
- low self-esteem
- an overwhelming sense of injustice and a strong desire to do something about it
As you might gather from these symptoms, some sufferers think they are going crazy due to the weird, uncharacteristic symptoms they are experiencing. The good news is they are not going crazy; PTSD is an injury, not an illness. Those who suffer it have been wounded and should be treated as such.
Sometimes, the term "psychosis" is applied to mental illness, and the term "neurosis" to psychiatric injury. The main difference is that a psychotic person is unaware they have a mental problem, whereas the neurotic person is aware - often acutely.
This is only an overview. No two people react the same way to trauma, in spite of a number of common symptoms. If there is reason to believe you are experiencing symptoms of PTSD, it is wise to consider professional help to evaluate your needs, and possibly get started on the road to recovery. If possible, find someone who is experienced with sexual assault, abuse or related issues.
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Stopping Child Abuse - One Child At a Time