
Main characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder
When it comes to this type of anxiety disorder, based on itsname, it is easy to conclude that it is usually a result of some traumatic personalexperience in which the person in question was primarily overwhelmed by feelingsof fear and helplessness. The same disorder might occur to those who werewitnesses of such an event, which means that the traumatic event does not havebe related to them directly. It is important to point out that the signsindicating post-traumatic stress disorder tend to occur a few months after the triggeringevent and not right afterwards. They can be classified as intrusive memories,avoidance and numbing, and as emotional arousal. The first classification refersto the so-called flashbacks and dreams about the event, which are veryupsetting. The symptoms that are classified as those of avoidance and numbingusually refer to problems with memory and concentration, emotional numbness,and avoidance of thinking about the event in question. Also, if the personcannot maintain close relationships, it is also classified as this type ofsymptom. Symptoms such as anger, irritability, problems with sleeping, andimagining things belong to the third group. It depends on the individual and anumber of factors how long the symptoms will be present, because in some cases, it does not take much for them to disappear (with an adequate help, of course),while in very serious cases, they might persist for months or even years. Whatis also interesting is that the symptoms of this disorder might have the tendencyto come and go from time to time, and some stressful periods are usually thetime when they appear.
How to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder?
It is of crucial importance to look for professional helpwhen either the person in question or somebody close to them realizes that it istroubling and difficult to get the life back under control. Family members canbe of great help here, because sometimes people who have this kind of a problemneed additional help to look for help. One thing is sure, severe symptoms willnot go away on their own, and they can only aggravate with time if the persondoes not look for help. The treatment is usually based on medications that helpin dealing with anxiety, problems with sleep and depression, and onpsychotherapy, which exists in several forms, and the person can try more of them until finding the one that they find the most suitable.
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