Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any frightening event that results in feelings of intense fear or horror. Events may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one’s own or someone else’s physical, sexual, or psychological integrity overwhelming the individual’s ability to cope. As an effect of psychological trauma, PTSD is less frequent and more enduring than the more commonly seen post traumatic stress known as acute stress response. Signs of PTSD include re-experiencing the original trauma(s) through flashbacks or nightmares, avoidance of events or situations that remind one of the traumatic event, and increased arousal—such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger and hypervigilance. PTSD can have serious negative effect on an inpidual’s functioning at work and their functioning at home. Fortunately, psychologists have developed research-supported treatments which are effective in substantially reducing or eliminating the most troublesome symptoms of PTSD.
Managing Traumatic Stress: After the Tornadoes
For more information on PTSD, follow this link: http://www.apa.org/topics/ptsd/index.aspx.