A Simple Guide to Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

 “Hello there! I’m here to provide you with a bit of information on the various aspects of PTSD to normalize this state of mind and help you feel understood during your journey of growth and healing. I would like to remind you that suggestions on this post should not be taken as medical advice, therapy, or as a one-size-fits-all approach.  Keep in mind that every individual’s journey of  experiencing and navigating through PTSD is distinctive because you are one of a kind and no person is truly like you!  What you are going through is absolutely okay, and if you need additional resources or just someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to The Neeti Project."

What is PTSD? 

Does the term PTSD ring a bell? If yes, I wouldn't be surprised because the word is used quite colloquially these days to describe any event that achieves to frighten or threaten a person in the smallest of ways. For example, a person may have described their experience of watching a horror move at a theatre as them having been left with PTSD because the movie was terrifying. In reality, PTSD is far more serious.

Short for 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder', PTSD is characterized as a psychiatric disorder experienced amongst individuals who may have observed or encountered a traumatic event, including (but not limited to) sexual and gender-based violence (What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, n.d.). 

PTSD is the result of a traumatic event, is more long-term, and requires a clinical diagnosis given by a practicing clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. You may display the above mentioned symptoms for trauma to be diagnosed with PTSD, but you must also experience majority of the following (Kolk, 2000).:

• Repeatedly reliving the traumatic event through recollection. This typically includes external symbolic stimuli that trigger visual or sensory recollections of the event. 
• Intense psychological reactions OR emotional numbing (emotional detachment) OR emotional blunting.
• Physiological stress. 
• Keeping away from things, places, or people that remind the person of the trauma. 
• Unable to experience pleasures or joys 
• General withdrawal from experiencing life. 
• Issues with memory, attention, and concentration. 
• Difficulty in organizing. 
• Irregular sleeping patterns or sleep disruption. 
• Reacting startled to different situations. 
• Irritability 
• Continuously evaluating potential threats around you (called hypervigilance). 
• Easily stressed out when confronted with unexpected stimuli (called hyperarousal). 
• Automatically searching for similarities between a present event and the past traumatic event. Therefore, the present is somehow thought to be connected to the past traumatic event. 
• The constant replay of traumatic memories causes you to avoid certain people or situations. 
• Drug or alcohol abuse

Things to Keep in Mind!

• Avoid Self-Diagnosis: This is a common mistake that many people (including me) have indulged or continue to engage in. It is quite normal to do so since we human beings have an urge to constantly search for answers to problems we experience both externally and internally. However, I would highly recommend not to engage in Googling a medical sign or symptom and trying to figure out whether you may be experiencing PTSD because a wrong answer found on the internet could lead to greater stress. Moreover, there are professionals available to make the job easier for you!
• It's Okay to Seek Help! Our innate need to be in constant control of our surroundings, psychological state, and life in general may cause you to ignore, avoid, or hesitate to acknowledge the symptoms of trauma. Additionally, societal stigma attached the word 'disorder' and 'mental illness' may distance you from seeking help. However, these are simply words used by mental health care professionals for them to successfully aid you in treatment. It is absolutely okay to not be in control sometimes. It is alright to not feel at the top of your game throughout life. Experiencing trauma is not easy and the brain being a complex organ, has different ways of interpreting various traumatic situations. I urge you to put yourself first if you are mentally not feeling well and seek all the assistance necessary for you to lead a happy and fulfilling life because you deserve it. 
• Seeing Light at the End of the Tunnel: Although it may take a few days, weeks, or months for you to process stressful or traumatic event/s, there most certainly will come a day when memories of the event will cease to control you, your emotions, and your behaviors!
• Resilience and Mental Health: You may wonder why some people adapt better or quickly overcome similar stressful or traumatic situations. They may engage in relatively more healthy psychological and physical functioning despite having confronted a traumatic event. This is because some people are more resilient than others. Typically, people who experience - 

• greater positive emotions
• lesser negative emotions  
• good amounts of self confidence...

have been observed to have higher resilience and are able to overcome trauma more swiftly. 

However, resilience is not something that certain people are just born with and is quite dependent on a number of environmental factors too like - one's gender, age, and socio-economic and educational background. The more resources a person has been provided overtime, the easier it may be for that person to build resilience (Butcher et al., 2014). 

• Take All the Time Necessary:  As someone who was diagnosed with PTSD, it took me a long period to control its symptoms. At times when I thought I was completely free from the trauma I'd experienced, a wave of memories would flood me once more and I'd take a few days off to recuperate. I would like to remind you that it is absolutely okay to take as much time as you need to recover from any stressor or trauma because everyone is genetically and environmentally built quite distinctively and there are no strict rules that need to be followed when it comes to healing your mind and body! 😊