Post Traumatic Post Traumatic Stress DisorderStress Disorder

By: Véda, Amy, and Alyssa

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Video

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Description Also known as PTSD A severe anxiety problem that can result from an

emotional or shocking experience About 3.6% of Americans 18-54 (5.2 million people) Symptoms usually start to appear within 3 months

of traumatic event Some can be cured in as little as 6 months, some

much longer Other anxiety disorders, co-occurring depression,

or alcohol/drug abuse often come with PTSD Another factor is responding to certain incidents

with extreme fear, vulnerability, and terror.

Causes Can arise from war, natural disasters, dangerous

accidents, or life-threatening personal assaults Eg. Rape, mugging, shooting, earthquake,

military combat, car accident, or a plane crash It can occur in any age, including childhood

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Symptoms Symptoms usually begin within three

months of the event, but in some cases it could be years before they surface.

The strength of the symptoms will vary from person to person.

Three Categories Re-experiencing the event Avoidance and emotional numbing Changes in sleep pattern

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Re-experiencing Dreams or nightmares Flash backs can be caused by things like a

triggering smell, sound or image. Re-experiencing an traumatic event in the

mind can cause distress, excessive sweating and the increase of heart rate.

Avoidance and Emotional Withdraw from friends and family Avoid situations which remind of the

trauma. They don’t enjoy life as usual Extreme guilt Disassociative state Depression

Disassociative state In rare cases the person acts and reacts as

if they are living through the experience again. This can last for anywhere from five minutes to several days.

Insomnia and difficulty sleeping Can lead to aggression Difficulty concentrating and finishing tasks

Changes in sleep pattern http://www.healthgiants.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Insomnia.jpg

Treatments & Therapies

Cognitive behavioural therapy Exposure therapy Medicine: known as SSRI’s or anti-

depressants. They relieve depression, and anxiety. When you have depression you may not have enough of a chemical in your brain, SSRI’s raise the level of serotonin in your brain.

Treatment helps people feel in more control of their life

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Cognitive behavioural therapy You are gradually exposed to thoughts

about the traumatic event that you experienced. Through this therapy you identify upsetting thoughts about the trauma that are distorted.

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Exposure therapy The purpose of exposure therapy is to

have less fear of your memories. The idea behind exposure therapy is to

learn about your fears, thoughts, and to focus on situations that remind you of your traumatic event.

Your therapist will use techniques known as desensitization, and flooding.

Other Treatments

Group therapy

Psychodynamic psychology

Family therapy

Each of these therapies affect people differently.

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Sources http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=8865&cn=109 http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=194#Causes http://ptsd.about.com/od/treatment/a/psychodynamic.htm http://www.brainline.org/landing_pages/categories/ptsd.html?gclid=CNTJnKG http://theguideto.com/ptsd-treatment/?src=MSN&kwrd

=post%20traumatic%20stress%20disorder&subid=Canada\ http://www.brainline.org/landing_pages/categories/ptsd.html?

gclid=COXG2pyvy6UCFUVoKgodT3LwlA Canada.com, . (2010). Canada.com. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2010, from MediaRecource incorperated, Canada. Web site: http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=194 HIT Lab, . (2010). VR Treatment for Post-traumtic Stress Disorder. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2010, from HIT

lab, Washington. Web site: http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hitl.washington.edu/research/ptsd/JOANNE_files/image003.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hitl.washington.edu/projects/ptsd/&usg=__wDxWKqQnjdtRoJ-ExbP6eMuFWuo=&h=312&w=444&sz=11&hl=en&start=3&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=vbUK4Y7IWvliZM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpost%2Btraumatic%2Bstress%2Bdisorder%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-ca%26tbs%3Disch:1

CBC, . (2009). The traumatic effects of extreme stress. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2010, from CBC, Canada. Web site: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/12/17/f-ptsd.html.

Canadian Mental Health Association, . (2010). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2010, from Canadian mental health association. Web site: http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=3-94-97.

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/post_tramatic_stress_disorder_symptoms_treatment.htm http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/treatment-ptsd.asp