Understanding and Living with PTSD

PTSD is caused by exposure to excessive stress or trauma. Events that spark the condition are not normally part of most people's life experience. PTSD is a psychological reaction to a catastrophic event outside of the individual. Three types of PTSD reactions include acute, chronic and delayed. Researchers have identified changes in the central and autonomic nervous systems in people with PTSD. Changes in hormone systems have also been identified. PTSD is sometimes confused with Bipolar Disorder and some forms of depression. A PTSD victim may have experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event that involved death; the response involved intense fear, or the state of helplessness; have recurrent distressing dreams or physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues known as triggers; and are reliving the experience or having dissociative flashback episodes. Other symptoms can be persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma; unable to have loving feelings; irritability or outbursts of anger; and exaggerated startle response. The duration of these symptoms are more than one month and causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Not everyone exposed to such events will develop PTSD. However, having strong support systems lessens a person's risk of the disorder. The information provided herein should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition, or during any medical emergency. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites.

Diagnose - Signs & Symptoms

The following information came from the Psychiatric News, October 18, 2002, Volume 37, Number 20 Page 25, and describes the DSM-IV-TR Criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is to be used strictly for information purposes only.  A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present: The person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others. The person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. B. The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in one (or more) of the following ways: Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and disassociative flashback episodes, including those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated). Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event. Physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event. C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by three (or more) of the following: Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma. Efforts to avoid activities, places or people that arouse recollections of the trauma. Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma. Restricted range of effect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings) Sense of a foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span.) D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated by two (or more) of the following: Difficulty falling or staying asleep Irritability or outbursts of anger Difficulty concentrating Hyper-vigilance Exaggerated startle response E. Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in Criteria B, C, and D) is more than one month. F. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.