Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Treatment Options

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an emotional disorder which occurs after the experience of a physical trauma: commonly war, physical assault (particularly rape), car accidents, natural catastrophes, and even the unexpected death of a loved one. For the disorder to manifest the victim of the event must feel intense fear and helplessness, coupled with an expectancy of dying or being seriously injured themselves. Sufferers of this debilitating condition will do anything to avoid places, people, or circumstances that remind them of the original traumatic event. Loss of memory surrounding many of the details of the actual event may also occur, … Continue reading →

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnostic Criteria

As we saw in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: What causes it?, this condition is a relative newcomer to the list of registered psychological disorders, yet it has existed under a variety of names, including “shell-shock”, since time began. It was first termed “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” in 1980. But as far back as the 1600s, the great English diarist, Samuel Pepys, described the Great Fire of London and documented symptoms in the population of what we would now term PTSD. Apart from natural disasters and wartime experiences, women who experience rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault, and robbery are particularly prone to the … Continue reading →

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: What causes it?

Most people have heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It was the Vietnam War that really put PTSD on the psychological map of the average person in the street. Veterans of that war became increasingly vocal about the aftereffects of the war, not only physical, but psychological. The disorder slowly became recognized, both by the health community and the general public alike. It was given a name: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Of course, PTSD has existed from the time humans first roamed the earth. After the First and Second World Wars, it was referred to as “shell-shock” and most people are … Continue reading →

The Tsunami and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

December 26 brings the one year anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 300,000 people. The world responded generously to the plight of those who inhabit the countries rimming the Indian Ocean; from Indonesia, up through SE Asia across to India and Sri Lanka, and as far west as Africa. Yet despite the millions of dollars in aid and the beginnings of restoration apparent in many areas, the psychological fallout from this horrific natural disaster still continue to haunt the daily lives of many of the survivors. For individuals who live through a life-threatening event such as the … Continue reading →