Anxiety Disorder: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Anxiety Disorder: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been around for many years but it wasn't added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) until 1980. (Bayse, 1998) It has become a lot more common with the wars going on and soldiers coming home from combat zones. Almost any trauma that can be defined as a life-threatening event or a situation that severely compromises the physical or emotional well-being of an individual can cause someone to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD cases can also be increased by genetics; if certain characteristics of the disorder run in your family you have a much greater chance of developing it. (Durand & Barlow, 2010)

There are three main symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder which include re-experiencing the traumatic event, ignoring reminders of the trauma, and anxiety. Symptoms of PTSD could be hidden for a long time before someone even realizes that they suffer from it. Most times the symptoms are triggered by something that reminds the person of the traumatic event, certain noises, images, words, or even a specific smell can trigger someone to have a flashback of the event or increased anxiety. People who re-experience the certain traumatic event usually have flashbacks or nightmares, and sometimes when they are reminded of the event they could have an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, or nausea. Symptoms of avoidance can cause people to avoid activities that might remind them of the event. People also lose interest in activities that they used enjoy doing and feel disconnected from other people. Anxiety symptoms from PTSD will cause a person to have a difficult time falling or staying asleep, they will feel jittery and the smallest action can easily startle them. (Smith & Segal, 2012)

Prevalence rates of post-traumatic stress disorder differ depending on various groups of people. The rates can vary by your age, sex, and marital status. Many researchers conducted studies hoping to get an accurate estimate of PTSD cases in the United States. One case conducted interviewed nearly 6,000 people from different communities around the country to determine how many had been diagnosed with PTSD at some point in their life. (Tull, 2008) The study found that about 7.8% of the people interviewed had PTSD at some point throughout their life. Men and women differ in lifetime rates of PTSD; women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with it as men. There is no definitive information relating age to PTSD, in fact for women the rates drop as they get older. Marital status PTSD rates are higher with couples that have been previously married, and men that are married are more likely to be diagnosed with it than men who never got married.

There are many treatments that are available for PTSD including counseling, therapy and certain medications. Cognitive