What is the full form of PTSD?

The full form of PTSD is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A person who has had a terrible event in their life may acquire PTSD. Any sexual harassment, childhood abuse that can influence for a long time, the loss of a loved one, which can lead to tension and even despair, or any other incident that can lead to physical and mental stress are examples.

Within two months of the occurrence, PTSD symptoms begin to appear, but in other situations, they do not appear for many years. Depending on how serious the event that caused the stress, the symptoms may persist. Several of the signs include:

1. Living life in flashbacks, few people relive the incident; they might hallucinate and have frequent nightmares.
2. The person avoids visiting the place where the incident has occurred and usually describes the place as haunting.
3. The person who suffers from this disorder usually has either low concentration levels or overly concentration on a particular thing.
4. Patients have high levels of irritability and panic frequently.
5. During stress, they might also suffer from increased muscle tension and nausea. 
6. Patients are victims of negative thoughts often.
7. Children suffering from PTSD might have delayed milestones, affecting even their speech and show slow development in learning some daily chores.
8. Patients show an attitude of detachment from close family and friends.
9. For small reasons, multiple emotional changes appear in the person feeling either agitated or frightened.

Someone who has experienced trauma and survived it may also suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, or mood swings. Alcohol and drug misuse often coexist with PTSD. Patients frequently struggle with controlling their anger, and kids frequently have tantrums.

In America, 3% of adults experience PTSD on average every year. And it’s estimated that 8% of people may experience this disorder at some point. If the ratio is considered, women are more likely than men to experience PTSD because they are more vulnerable to interpersonal and public violence.

The doctor or psychiatrist obtains a thorough medical history before the diagnosis is made, and each occurrence that has previously occurred is noted. A specialist such as a psychologist or a psychiatrist can rule out any mental illness. The psychiatrist noted the patient’s symptoms, assessing their severity and distinguishing them from other mental illnesses. If the patient exhibits the symptoms for longer than a month, PTSD is determined to be the cause.

Psychotherapy is a term used to describe various therapeutic methods, including counselling patients, writing prescriptions for drugs, or doing both.

Antidepressants are provided to patients to help them cope with their excessive thoughts and lessen their worries. Amitriptyline, vilazodone, citalopram, and escitalopram are a few of the antidepressants. Mood stabilisers such as asenapine, carbamazepine, etc., are also administered. Antipsychotic medications like risperidone and clozapine are considered if the situation worsens. However, some medical specialists advise against using tranquillizers because there is a potential that the patient could get addicted to them.

The term ‘post-traumatic stress disorder was first recommended in early 1978. In 1980, the condition was described as a ‘posttraumatic stress disorder. Later in ICD-10, the spelling was corrected to ‘post-traumatic stress disorder.

In addition to counselling, many forms of psychotherapy are used to treat PTSD. The goal of psychotherapy is to teach the patient coping mechanisms for uncomfortable emotions and to support them in overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder worries. Some of the treatments include:

Cognitive-behavioural therapy, which aids in identifying and bringing about a change in one’s behaviour and feelings, is behavioural therapy. The other is “exposure therapy,” which involves having the patient relive the occurrence and exposing them to situations that make them anxious and uneasy.