Welcome to the blog for Free Your Mind mental health anti-stigma campaign

This is the blog for the Free Your Mind campaign which aims to battle stigma towards mental illness through the use of music, art, film, and culture.
The blog consists of informative and, hopefully, entertaining articles/posts.
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Monday 21 May 2012

Understanding PTSD


The title of this post was going to be ‘Understanding BPD and PTSD’; but, instead, I have decided to go with the more-accurate (in terms of this post’s content) and shorter title of, ‘Understanding PTSD’.

However, as promised, I will still be looking at the “crossover” between PTSD and BPD.

Understanding PTSD (Part-Two)  ~  posted 09/07/2012

The term Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refers to a range of symptoms which are a response to a traumatic event (or, events) which undermine our sense of safety and security.

(PTSD is also sometimes referred to as PTSS (Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.)

Symptoms of PTSD may not appear for some time – weeks, months and, even, years – after the traumatic experiences or event.

and;

Even if you’re not directly involved in a traumatic event, you can still be affected by the event and develop symptoms of PTSD.

It is perfectly natural to be affected by some of these symptoms after a dangerous and/or frightening event. 

Sometimes people are affected by very serious symptoms, which then dissipate within a few weeks – their symptoms could be diagnosed as ASD (Acute Stress Disorder).

When symptoms last for longer than a few weeks, and become an ongoing problem, then they may be the symptoms of PTSD.

and;

It is within the symptoms of PTSD and BPD where the crossover between these two mental health diagnoses’s becomes relevant. 

PTSD causes many symptoms, which can be grouped into three categories; “Re-experiencing symptoms,” “Avoidance symptoms,” and “Hyper-arousal symptoms.”

“Re-experiencing symptoms” includes those symptoms such as, flashbacks - repeatedly reliving the trauma, which can include physical symptoms such as a racing heart or shortness of breath; disturbing dreams; and, upsetting and frightening thoughts.

“Avoidance symptoms,” also known as “Dissociative symptoms,” include symptoms such as, staying away from anything that is a reminder of the traumatic experience; feeling emotionally numb (also known as dissociation); strong feelings of depression, guilt, or anxiety; a loss of interest in activities which were once enjoyable in the past; and, difficulty remembering the traumatic event.

“Hyper-arousal symptoms” includes symptoms such as, being easily startled or “jumpy”; feeling tense or “on edge”; insomnia and/or disturbed sleep pattern; and, angry outbursts.


Those whom have survived a traumatic, and/or near-death, experience tend to prefer to think of themselves as “Survivors” - as opposed to the term “Victim” - due to PTSD being a sign of a mind which has experienced something which has been stretched it beyond the normal human capacity for coping.

Some survivors have objected to the term “disorder” - but the diagnosis recognises the events and experiences, beyond our control, which have a lasting and damaging effect on a person’s mental health.

Initially, trauma tends to cause feelings of “numbness” – a stage which is sometimes referred to as “Being in denial.” 

But, although a person may seem in a state of “denial,” it is likely that on a sub-conscious level they are beginning to process the traumatic experience.

At first, talking about their experiences will most likely be the last thing a person wants to do; and pressuring or forcing a person to talk about their experience before they are ready can be extremely harmful, and increases the likelihood of them developing PTSD.

Different types of traumatic experiences affect people differently; for example, reactions/responses to pro-longed trauma (such as, survivors of repeated abuse), may differ from those whom are survivors of “Single event trauma.”

Responses, or reactions, to trauma differ from person-to-person, and people should be allowed to work through traumas at their own pace.

The symptoms of PTSD are a sign of a person who has seen too much, and whose mind has been stretched beyond the normal capacity for coping.


Understanding PTSD (Part-Two)  ~  posted 09/07/2012

1 comment:

  1. PTSD treatment for Veterans found ineffective.

    Eli Lilly made $65 billion on the Zyprexa franchise.Lilly was fined $1.4 billion for Zyprexa fraud!
    The atypical antipsychotics (Zyprexa,Risperdal,Seroquel) are like a 'synthetic' Thorazine,only they cost ten times more than the old fashioned typical antipsychotics.
    These newer generation drugs still pack their list of side effects like diabetes for the user.All these drugs work as so called 'major tranquilizers'.This can be a contradiction with PTSD suffers as we are hyper vigilant and feel uncomfortable with a drug that puts you to sleep and makes you sluggish.
    That's why drugs like Zyprexa don't work for PTSD survivors like myself.
    -Daniel Haszard FMI Google-Haszard Zyprexa

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