Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Overview

Post traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition after exposure to traumatic events by directly witnessing or experiencing the trauma. It usually starts within 3 months after a traumatic event and cause a lot of distress.

Signs and Symptoms

Recurrent memories of traumatic event, flashbacks or nightmares, Active avoidance of things that may remind them of the traumatic event, Memory problems, Negative feelings about self, others or the world, Feelings of detachment, Hopelessness, Inability to experience positive emotions, Irritability, Impaired concentration, Insomnia, Easily startled

Common Causes

Exposure to traumatic experience such as sexual violation, childhood abuse, severe injury or death, Genetic factors such as family history of anxiety or depression, Altered brain chemistry affecting the way your brain respond to stress

Risk Factors

Exposure to intense trauma, Traumatic childhood experience such as childhood abuse, Family history of mental disorders such as depression or anxiety, Your temperament, Personal history of mental disorders such as depression or anxiety, Alcohol or recreational drug abuse, Occupations at risk of being exposed to traumatic events such as military personnel

Investigation Techniques

Medical, psychiatric and social history to look for signs of underlying medical condition and substance abuse, Physical examination to look for signs of underlying medical condition and substance abuse, Psychological evaluation, Comparison of symptoms to criteria in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)

Treatment and Prevention

Psychotherapy such as eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive behavioural therapy, exposure therapy and family therapy, Antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), Alpha-1 receptor antagonist such as Prazosin, Atypical antipsychotics