PTSD: I'll Think of a Better Title Later

I think it's safe to say that most people have experienced or will experience an event which they consider traumatic at some point in their lives. These events can include car accidents, assaults, natural disasters, or even just witnessing something like this happen to someone else. After everything's over, plenty of people can recover and move on with their lives. Unfortunately for some, however, it's not so simple.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that some people develop as a response to these events. PTSD isn't a one-size-fits-all kind of thing either; it comes in a variety of flavors, none of which I'd want to try. The symptoms fall into three categories: re-living, avoidance, and increased arousal. The CDC made a handy list that highlights some of the symptoms in each category:


• Symptoms of re-living include flashbacks, nightmares, and extreme emotional
and physical reactions to reminders of the event. Emotional reactions can include
feeling guilty, extreme fear of harm, and numbing of emotions. Physical reactions
can include uncontrollable shaking, chills or heart palpitations, and tension
headaches.

• Symptoms of avoidance include staying away from activities, places, thoughts, or
feelings related to the trauma or feeling detached or estranged from others.

• Symptoms of increased arousal include being overly alert or easily startled,
difficulty sleeping, irritability or outbursts of anger, and lack of concentration.

Much like its symptoms, the disorder itself affects people in various ways. People can be diagnosed with acute PTSD if their symptoms last less than three months after the traumatic experience. Other people may be diagnosed with chronic PTSD, which means that their symptoms last longer than three months after the event. Finally, some may experience PTSD with a delayed onset. They may feel like they've recovered from the event, but after six months, they may begin experiencing the symptoms of PTSD.

You already know how people begin experiencing the disorder, but you may be are absolutely wondering why some people get it and others don't. In a study of 218 people who had been hospitalized after severe car wrecks, it was found that 1/6 of them later developed PTSD. Despite every person demonstrating similar stress levels, only some developed the disorder. The study also found that those who did develop PTSD weren't necessarily in worse accidents than those who didn't. So what could it be? Well, one study found that people with PTSD tend to have a smaller hippocampus than average and low levels of cortisol. What this suggests is that these people aren't as well-suited as others to handle extreme levels of stress, making them more prone to developing PTSD.

No one has come up with a decisive way to prevent PTSD from occurring; after all, its effects can vary wildly from person to person. Some recent studies suggest making people play Tetris or exposing them to the traumatic event again, but those are a little new-agey for some. One tried and sometimes-true method is good old-fashioned cognitive therapy. Studies have found that providing preventative therapy to people who have experienced something traumatic may help to lower the chances of PTSD occurring. With that in mind, I hope nothing traumatic ever happens to you...whoever you are. If it does, get some help.

So long for now and spaceman's luck to all of you.