Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health issue that develops when someone experiences or witnesses a life-threatening event, which can include combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.

It’s normal for people to have troubling memories, feel anxious, and have issues sleeping after experiencing something traumatic. Those who have had a traumatic experience might find it hard to go through their day-to-day activities. Going to work or school, spending time with your family or friends, or even doing things to satisfy your daily needs might be difficult. Some people might be better after a few weeks or months, but for others it can take longer.

If you have symptoms for more than a few months, you might have PTSD. PTSD is different for every individual. Sometimes, the symptoms may start later on after a traumatic event, other times the symptoms may come and go.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are 8 million Americans with PTSD. While most treatments for PTSD do work for patients, not a lot of people get the help they need. As nurses, it’s vital to raise awareness where you can and help provide a voice for patients who are struggling with this common mental health issue.

Who is at risk?

You can develop PTSD at any age. There are a number of factors that can increase the risk of someone developing PTSD, and many of these factors are not under the patient’s control. Like, if you have sustained an injury during an event or if you have had been sexually assaulted or gone through combat.

Factors such as exposure to trauma, age, and gender can affect whether or not someone will develop PTSD. And, whatever happens after the event is also very important. Stress can make PTSD more likely and worsen the symptoms. If a patient has the support they need, developing PTSD is less likely.

Diagnosing PTSD involves a mental health team to diagnose the condition. It’s important to note that it can take many steps and not everyone who has had a traumatic experience develops it. A lot of people who go through trauma have very similar PTSD symptoms for a short time after, but this doesn’t mean that they will develop this condition.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outlines four major types of symptoms of PTSD, which are re-experiencing, avoidance, arousal, and negative changes in beliefs and feelings. A screening for PTSD will involve a series of questions to see if the patient should be assessed further. However, the results of this screening does not mean someone has PTSD. It’s only used to see if someone is experiencing the symptoms and whether or not they should be evaluated more.

Treatments available for PTSD

PTSD has been effectively treated in the past with a variety of therapies. Many survivors of trauma can lead productive and happy lives with the proper support behind them. Some effective treatments are different types of psychotherapy (or talk therapy) and medication.

Recommended treatments include:

• Trauma-focused psychotherapies: Trauma-focused psychotherapies are the most recommended types of treatment. “Trauma-focused” refers to treatment that zeroes in on the memories related to the traumatic events and their meanings. These treatments typically use different techniques to help process your emotions. This treatment may involve visualizing, thinking, or talking about the event. It may also focus on preventing negative beliefs about the traumatic event itself.

• Prolonged Exposure (PE): This therapy is meant to teach patients how to control their negative feelings by facing them. It may involve talking about the patient’s trauma or even doing things that patients have avoided since the trauma.

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): This therapy teaches patients to reframe their negative thoughts. It can involve talking about the trauma or writing about it.

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): This therapy aims to help patients process their trauma and make sense of it. Patients would need to call the trauma back to mind while paying mind to something else that has a back-to-back movement or sound (like light, tone, or an object moving waving back and forth).
• Medications for PTSD: Medications for PTSD might be the same medications that treat symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, some medications like Benzodiazepines are not recommended for PTSD. They have shown to have serious side effects over time.

Awareness for PTSD

June isn’t just the month that marks the first moments of summer. It is also PTSD Awareness month. Throughout the month of June, and even throughout the year, you can help raise awareness about PTSD and its treatment options. This is one of the most common mental health issues in the United States, but there are many patients who aren’t getting the help they need.

As nurses and other healthcare professionals, you can make a significant difference in the lives of Veterans, victims, and others who have experienced some form of trauma. To learn more about PTSD and how you can help, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for more information.