Wendel Abel - I AM WHAT I THINK A DISTRAUGHT FATHER cries in anguish as he pulls the body of his lifeless little girl from the crashed vehicle. A few weeks later he has difficulty sleeping and experiences bad dreams.
The nurse walks away from the emergency room in tears as she attended to the mangled bodies of persons who were brought in after an accident. Six months later she resigned her job. " There is too much trauma to deal with in this hospital." She left her job because she developed Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In the dark parking lot of her workplace, a woman was raped. One month later she left the job. She could not function any more. " It was difficult walking through the parking lot." PTSD has claimed another victim!
WHAT IS PTSD?
PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) is an illness, which many people develop after experiencing a traumatic event. Some events which may lead to PTSD are sexual assault, physical attack, robbery, mugging, automobile accidents, being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, observing serious injury or the death of another person, sudden, unexpected death of a family member or a close friend and living through man- made disasters for example, hurricanes. These events involve the actual or threatened death or injury of an individual. Have you or anyone had any such experience?
SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH PTSD
Many persons who have endured traumatic experiences suffer predictable psychological problems and may develop symptoms of PTSD. Symptoms associated with the disorder include:
1. Anxiety symptoms such as racing heart and shortness of breath.
2. Depression, difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, loss of energy, anger.
3. Distressing dreams, nightmares, feelings as if the trauma is recurring, distress on exposure to anything that reminds one of the trauma.
4. Avoidance of people, places and things that are associated with the trauma and the inability to recall aspects of the trauma.
5. Sexual problems, emotional numbing and guilt.
"After I was attacked, I felt fearful and helpless. I had terrible nightmares and I often re-lived the incidents. Eventually I became very depressed and I lost my appetite," reports Mary who was robbed six months ago.
"I was raped one evening going home from church. Since then I have not been able to walk on the same road. I find I cry a lot these days. I have very little feelings for others around me. Sometimes I get very angry and question even God. I have difficulty concentrating and feel very jumpy most of the times." "I blame myself a lot. Why was I alone on that road," said Carol.
Persons who have experienced trauma not only experience great psychological distress but they either blame themselves or are blamed by others. They blame themselves for not being able to control symptoms. Children who experience trauma may display changes in their behaviour for example, the child who was sexually abused may start to disobey his parents. Other children may display change in their school performance or start to wet the bed or suck their thumbs. Whenever we see these changes in a child they may indicate a cry for help.
HOW SOON DOES PTSD START?
PTSD starts within the first three months of the trauma and may for some individuals show up months to years later. It may occur at any age and children can also have the condition. Unfortunately, it is often not recognised in children as they are unable to express their feelings clearly. Children who have experienced trauma should be taken for therapy. The disorder affects both men and women. Persons in some professions are also at risk due to high levels of exposure to trauma e.g. police, fire-fighters, emergency and disaster workers, the military, physicians and nurses.
TREATMENT FOR PTSD
Treatment is available for PTSD. Talk to your family doctor or your counsellor about any traumatic experiences you have had. Medication may help to control some of the symptoms especially in the early stages. Persons who have had traumatic experiences will also find that support from friends, family and colleagues can be beneficial. For many people therapy may be necessary to assist individuals to work through their traumatic experiences, to improve their function and develop their coping skills as they survive the trauma. Studies have shown that cognitive-behavioural therapy is effective, however, this should only be done by a trained therapist.
" We are never prepared for trauma but we can survive its ravages".
If you know someone who has had a traumatic experience and need help, share this article with him or her and call us or send an email.
Dr. Wendel Abel is a Consultant Psychiatrist; senior lecturer, University of the West Indies.
