The Garden: Coping with PTSD

A few days after the incident that took place at my apartment a month ago, I fell ill and decided to pay my general practitioner a visit. He told me that I was not sick upon all the complaints I had about my body, he said rather I have PTSD.

You should have seen some of the reactions and facial expressions from most people when I told them what was wrong with me. I could not help but think that either we do not take PTSD seriously or two, we don’t believe it exists or rather we do not know much about it and so I was inspired to share this article in this regard.

PTSD is a short term for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Its symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. As with most mental illnesses, no cure exists for PTDS, but the symptoms can be effectively managed to restore the affected individual to normal functioning. The best hope for treating PTSD is a combination of medication and therapy and the length and time varies. In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, a person must have three different types of symptoms: re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance and numbing symptoms, and arousal symptoms. Re-experiencing symptoms are symptoms that involve reliving the traumatic event. There are a number of ways in which people may relive a trauma.

According to medical research, the effect of PTSD on the brain is that stress results in acute and chronic changes in neurochemical systems and specific brain regions, which result in long-term changes in brain “circuits,” involved in the stress response. Brain regions that are felt to play an important role in PTSD include hippocampus, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex. Symptoms can go on for years or they can go away and then come back if another event brings up memories of the trauma. In fact, anniversaries of the event can cause a flood of emotions and unpleasant memories. Someone with PTSD might have some or all of these symptoms: Reliving the traumatic event.

PTSD may usually start soon after the traumatic event. But for some people, they may not happen until months or years after the trauma. Symptoms may come and go over many years. Anyone can get PTSD at any age. This includes war veterans and survivors of physical and sexual assault, abuse, accidents, disasters and many other traumatic events. Not everyone with PTSD has been through a dangerous event. Some people get PTSD after a friend or family member experiences danger or harm.

My doctor explained to me that I was merely reacting to the incident that took place and he went on to explain to me the stages involved in the process as illustrated in the graph below.

It was very helpful as I was able to see exactly which phase I was in at that moment, I could relate with where I was before then and I continue to keep track of my progress. I have been struggling to cope with work or any pressure. My heart still skips a beat when I hear noises and my sleeping pattern is yet to be restored. From recent events, it is evident that I have been affected. The random outbursts are also proof of my increased level of intolerance.

Nonetheless I am determined to beat PTSD.

I don’t know what you are passing through at this time, however, I want to assure you that you are not the only one. There are several others who also face some sort of trauma in their lives more over I want to assure you that you do not have to remain in a permanent state of trauma, there is a way out. I recommend that you seek therapy or counselling from a professional.

Mental health is every bit just as important as the health of our bodies. Without the stability of our mental state we lack the capacity to fully execute our daily activities and we therefore fail at being productive. Our mental state also is an influencer in the manner in which we relate to others and thus affects our relationships across all borders. One of the key things to do is to therefore take responsibility of your overall health including that of your mind. Many have had mental breakdowns when it could have been avoided, many have had a number of outbursts and dented their image as a result, all because of denial. Denial in the sense that we refuse to seek for help or take up treatment and we tend to think it is a sign of weakness to go for therapy or counselling. Let me put it to you that the consequences of not dealing with trauma are even more severe than you going through a healing process. Its long term effects are equally damaging and chances of you passing on the trauma onto others is more likely and so I encourage you to do the right thing and take care of you.

You too can rise above PTSD.