Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological health diagnosis that is growing more popular these days. PTSD can happen to anyone, but I think most of us associate it with military personnel. PTSD can affect anyone and can be triggered by pretty much anything. A trauma can be caused by any unexpected event. You can develop PTSD when you go through, see or hear about something that causes intense fear, helplessness or horror.

The most common events that can cause PTSD are:

• Combat exposure
• Rape
• Childhood neglect and physical abuse
• Sexual molestation
• Physical attack
• Being threatened with a weapon
• Major car accidents

The symptoms of PTSD vary widely and can be divided into three different categories: intrusive memories, avoidance and numbing, and increased anxiety or emotional arousal (hyperarousal). 

Symptoms of intrusive memories may include:

• Flashbacks, or reliving the traumatic event for minutes or even days at a time
• Upsetting dreams about the traumatic event

Symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing may include:

• Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event
• Feeling emotionally numb
• Avoiding activities you once enjoyed
• Hopelessness about the future
• Memory problems
• Trouble concentrating
• Difficulty maintaining close relationships

Symptoms of anxiety and increased emotional arousal may include:

• Irritability or anger
• Overwhelming guilt or shame
• Self-destructive behavior, such as drinking too much
• Trouble sleeping
• Being easily startled or frightened
• Hearing or seeing things that aren't there

PTSD symptoms usually get aggravated during times of stress or if you encounter a reminder of the traumatic event, such as hearing a car backfire and reliving combat experiences.

Effective treatment plans for PTSD exist through talk therapy with a licensed psychologist and acupuncture is proving to be extremely effective in treating patients with PTSD. Acupuncture can use the body's Qi (pronounced chee) to keep energy flowing and keep all the channels open. This helps prevent our minds from locking away those painful images so we can more effectively deal with them. I'm not saying acupuncture and therapy are easy, but they are effective ways to allow ourselves to deal with the pain and emotions from PTSD. 

The military has started to use acupuncture in treating soldiers who are dealing with PTSD and they are finding it to be very useful along with meditation and other standard treatments. If the military adopts it, it's bound to enter the civilian population shortly thereafter. 

For more information on PTSD see the Mayo Clinic's website.