Medical Titbit: Are you suffering from PTSD?

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is quite a common mental health problem. Around 5-10% of the people who have experienced a traumatic event develop this disorder. The traumatic event could be a life-threatening condition, or it could affect physical, mental, or spiritual well-being significantly. It could be a single event or long-term trauma (e.g., war or repeated physical abuse). It could directly happen to the person suffering from PTSD or to the loved one. No age is immune to PTSD!

A Cleveland Clinic Video listed 4 important signs of PTSD. I am going to mention those points briefly. Watch the video at the end of this post to learn more about PTSD.

• Avoiding people, places, or situations that remind the original traumatic event
• Being on edge, and suddenly & unexpectedly get the feeling of anxiety or stress
• Negative thoughts and feelings. To cope with these, the person often succumbs to substance misuse
• A flare-up of trauma in the form of a flashback, nightmare, intrusive thoughts, etc, anytime in the future

A person with PTSD needs help and needs therapy to live a reasonably stress-free life. Talk therapy (Psychotherapy) is the main management option for PTSD!

Thanking you
Dr Hafiz