Monday, March 25, 2024

How To Manage Ptsd Anxiety

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This Mental Health Condition Can Overwhelm The Mind Body And Soul But There Are Healing Treatments That Work Experts Say

How to Manage PTSD

Ayana Byrd is an award-winning author and journalist. She is the co-author of the books Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America and the anthology Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips and Other Parts. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies, including How We Fight White Supremacy and The Fire This Time: Young Activists and The New Feminism, as well as publications such as The New York Times, L’Uomo Vogue, Fast Company, Glamour, Essence, Vogue Portugal and O, the Oprah Magazine.

When her Uber driver turned down the street she used to live on, Stacy Williams* was scrolling Instagram. Had she been paying attention, she would have asked the driver to go another way. But it was too late by the time she glanced up. “As soon as I saw where I was, it felt like there was a heavy hand pressing on my chest, and my stomach lurched. I thought I was going to be sick,” she says.

Williams began hyperventilating as the car stopped at a red light, steps away from the home she’d shared with an emotionally abusive boyfriend. She had avoided that block since their breakup a year ago. Not because she was afraid to run into her exhe no longer lived there. But because reminders of him triggered her post-traumatic stress disorder.

Traumatic Stress Vs Ptsd

Traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder share many symptoms and are both responses to trauma. However, even though these conditions have similarities, people with traumatic stress typically see their symptoms improve as time progresses. In contrast, PTSD can put a person in a state of shock, and PTSD symptoms may become more severe over time. Again, its important to note that not everyone who goes through a traumatic event will develop PTSD, but its definitely something to be aware of.

Healthy Ways Of Coping With Ptsd Anxiety

Carly Snyder, MD is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist who combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments.

People with post-traumatic stress disorder often struggle with frequent and intense symptoms of anxiety. These strong symptoms of anxiety often lead people with PTSD to rely on unhealthy ways of coping, such as through drug or alcohol use.

Fortunately, there are a number of healthy ways of coping with anxiety. These strategies may help reduce the intensity of anxiety, lessen its frequency, and/or make it more tolerable.

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Educate Yourself About Ptsd

Healthwise is an excellent website with many informational articles on PTSD. You will recognize the Healthwise logo by the three red circles with one embedded into the other. Adam Husney MD, Kathleen Romito MD, and Jessica Hamblen Ph.D. are practitioners in family medicine. They are a few of the medical reviewers on the site, so you know the information is accurate and current.

There are many blogs, websites, and videos that can teach you about anger management, unhealthy behaviors, and trouble dealing with anger and PTSD. An internet search will help you find them and there are many informative articles at BetterHelp.

What You Will Learn

How to Cope If Hashtag #Metoo Triggers Trauma Memories

Its my hope that by the end of this post, youll have a good understanding of what PTSD is, how to manage it, and what you should do with all this new information. Here are the points Ill be making:

  • Domestic Violence

This is not an all-inclusive list. With children, neglectful parenting, divorce, and parental drug use all qualify as traumatic events.

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What Risks Are Associated With Ptsd

Alcohol and drug use

Some people who live with PTSD use drugs or alcohol to help manage the symptoms.

Drug or alcohol misuse can make you more unwell, especially is it is excessive. It can make you more likely to try and harm yourself or take your own life.

You can find out more about Drugs, alcohol and mental health by clicking here.

Mental health conditions

Most people who live with PTSD will have at least 1 other mental health condition. The most common conditions are:

  • substance use, and
  • anxiety disorders.

Other mental health conditions have some of the same symptoms as PTSD. This may be why PTSD can sometimes be hard to diagnose.

If you think you may be experiencing PTSD, you can tell your healthcare professional. You can explain that youve been through a trauma, and you think your symptoms might be related to PTSD.

You can find out more about:

  • Depression by clicking here, and
  • Anxiety disorders by clicking here.

Suicidal thoughts

Sometimes PTSD symptoms can be long-lasting and can have a significant impact on day-to-day life. This can sometimes lead to suicidal thoughts.

You can find out more about Suicidal thoughts How to cope by clicking here.

Psychosis

There is a link between PTSD and psychosis. But it isnt known if psychosis is sometimes a symptom of PTSD. Or if it is a separate mental health condition, that can be developed alongside PTSD.

You can find out more about Psychosis by clicking here.

Physical health issues

You can find more information about:

Children And Young People

Trauma-focused CBT is usually recommended for children and young people with PTSD.

This normally involves a course of 6 to 12 sessions that have been adapted to suit the child’s age, circumstances and level of development.

Where appropriate, treatment includes consulting with and involving the child’s family.

Children who do not respond to trauma-focused CBT may be offered EMDR.

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Take A Test To See How You Feel

If youre unsure about the way you feel, take our anonymous online test to check whether your levels of stress, anxiety, or depression are within a healthy range, and see if one of our online programs could help.

What causes Post-Traumatic Stress?

People develop PTSD after theyve been exposed to something traumatic, like actual or near death, a serious physical injury, or sexual violence. This can mean that they experienced a trauma themselves, witnessed it happening, or learned about it happening to someone they love. People can also be traumatised by repeatedly seeing other peoples trauma . However, not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. Most people will feel better with time. Its not completely clear why only some people experience PTSD, but there are some risk factors for this disorder, including:

  • Pre-existing mental health issues

Psychiatric medications are not usually recommended as a first-line intervention for PTSD. People should be offered CBT before they trial medications. However, antidepressants can be helpful for people who:

  • Have anxiety or depression as well as PTSD
  • Feel that they arent getting enough benefit from CBT
  • Have severe PTSD symptoms that are interfering with therapy
  • Would prefer to take medications

Some things to remember when taking antidepressant medications are:

What is CBT?

Reasons Why Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Is Helpful

PTSD and the Brain

While post traumatic stress disorder may seem to be a challenging disorder, many people who have it never seek out PTSD treatment. Many times this occurs because people are afraid they will not be supported in their attempt at recovery or afraid that they will be looked upon as weak.

Seeking treatment for post traumatic stress disorder however, has far more positive effects than negative ones. Also, the earlier PTSD treatment is begun, the better the chance of a full recovery. Benefits of post traumatic stress disorder treatment include:

  • Prevention of further health problems.
  • Better family life.
  • Reduction of the symptoms of PTSD.
  • Discovery of mental health problems.
  • Improved relationships with friends.

If you or your loved one is in need of post traumatic stress disorder treatment, call an available PTSD treatment facility today. Many different forms of therapy are available at these post traumatic stress disorder treatment centers, including group therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Therapies and programs do however differ according to the PTSD treatment center.

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Build A Support Network

Having a PTSD support network can also be beneficial for coping with this mental health condition. Having friends, family members, or a coworker who knows about your PTSD and is available to talk can be important for recovery. A PTSD network can be available to listen and offer solutions during difficult times.

Social support has been found to be especially critical for people who have been exposed to multiple traumatic events. One study found that the risk of PTSD was 17 times greater in women who had been subjected to both child abuse and rape, but the severity of PTSD was lower in those who had more social support. Social support can therefore alleviate some of the symptoms associated with trauma.

Practice Mindfulness Meditation And Yoga

Research has shown us that a routine practice of mindfulness meditation and yoga can help to significantly lessen symptoms of anxiety, depression, and restlessness related to PTSD. Mindful meditation involves focusing your attention on your breath and witnessing your thoughts as they develop.

Through regular meditation and developed yoga practice, you can learn to recognize your thoughts before they take hold of your emotions. Then, you can learn to focus on your breathing and replace negative thoughts with healthier, more beneficial ones.

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How To Manage Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

A mother who meant the world to you, that little adorable sister you couldnt live without, the big brother who would always fend for you and a loving father who held your hand when you were scaredâ¦a loving family indeed that held dreams and a future so bright, but then one day, all that was taken away from you â your loved ones got murdered brutally before your eyes and you miraculously stayed behind, alone in a cold world.

How can life hold meaning? What reason would one have to keep on living? Survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi continue to grapple with this devastating pain every single day of their lives. Sadly, this experience does not only harm one physically but can also cause enormous psychological wounds.

He later got another chance at life when his grandmother took him in. She loved and cared for him but, as fate would have it, Ujenezas grandma later passed on and no one was left for him. He was, to say the least, lost and hopeless until destiny got him to a foster home. Life has since moved on for him, but he is filled with bitter memories.

I rarely talk about what happened to me because it stirs up painful memories. However, I am trying to move on.

The worst experiences come at night when I try to sleep as I always get nightmares. I once talked to a counsellor and it helped but it keeps coming back its hard for one to run from their past, Ujeneza says.

Experts view on psychological trauma

Care for PTSD victims

Ptsd Symptoms: Difficult But Totally Normal

Infographic: PTSD 101

Maybe you experience nightmares or flashbacks. The anxiety they bring can show up without warning, like the worst kind of surprise houseguest. And you might find yourself sucked into quicksand-like swamps of anger or guilt.

The good news: All of those symptoms are normal. You might be thinking, Thats supposed to be good news? But understanding where your symptoms are coming from is the first step toward healing. And you can heal and recover from PTSD it will just take some time, says psychiatrist Molly Wimbiscus, MD.

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Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

Paroxetine

There have been three main well-designed double-blind RCTs of paroxetine.Two of these have been published , the other has not but the results are within the public domain . Paroxetine shows a statisticallysignificant positive effect over placebo . Thetight CIs suggest that this is likely to be an accurate estimate of itsefficacy, but the critical question is how clinically significant thiseffect is: enough for it to be granted a licence for PTSD by the UKauthorities but not enough for it to be recommended in the NICEguidelines as a first-line treatment! TheGuideline Development Group set a priori limits on whatthey would consider clinically meaningful, and as a result gave only alimited recommendation to paroxetine as a second-line treatment. This,along with the widely publicised other potential problems associated withparoxetine , shouldresult in its cautious use for PTSD.

Sertraline

Fluoxetine

Fewer individuals have participated in fluoxetine trials than in trialsfor the other two SSRIs, and only one trial used astandardised clinician assessment of the severity of PTSD symptoms as aprimary outcome measure. The results are less convincing than those forparoxetine and do not reach statistical significance , butthis may be explained by insufficient numbers to show a real but modesteffect.

Why Do Some People Develop Ptsd And Other People Do Not

Not everyone who lives through a dangerous event develops PTSDmany factors play a part. Some of these factors are present before the trauma others become important during and after a traumatic event.

Risk factors that may increase the likelihood of developing of PTSD include:

  • Exposure to dangerous events or traumas
  • Getting hurt or seeing people hurt or killed
  • Childhood trauma
  • Feeling horror, helplessness, or extreme fear
  • Having little or no social support after the event
  • Dealing with extra stress after the event, such as loss of a loved one, pain and injury, or loss of a job or home
  • Having a personal history or family history of mental illness or substance use

Resilience factors that may reduce the likelihood of developing PTSD include:

  • Seeking out support from friends, family, or support groups
  • Learning to feel okay with ones actions in response to a traumatic event
  • Having a coping strategy for getting through and learning from a traumatic event
  • Being prepared and able to respond to upsetting events as they occur, despite feeling fear

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Common Symptoms Of Ptsd

In general, the symptoms fall into three main categories: intrusive, arousal and avoidance. They generally follow the cycle shown in the diagram below.

Reproduced from PTSD Resources for Survivors and Caregivers article, with permission from giftfromwithin.org, an international non-profit organization for survivors of trauma and victimization.

Note:

Not everyone will experience every type of symptom, and sometimes these symptoms do not appear in the order shown above.

Intrusive: people with PTSD often experience flashbacks and nightmares about their trauma. These intrusive thoughts can be triggered by situations or conversations that remind them of the event, and make them feel as if they are reliving it.

Arousal: people with PTSD may feel a heightened state of tension or alarm, called hyperarousal. This manifests itself in symptoms such as insomnia, an inability to concentrate, persistent fear, or being easily startled.

Avoidance: people with PTSD may try to shut out their feelings about their trauma. They shun the people, places or situations that remind them of their ordeal. They may lose interest in activities that they used to enjoy. They might also feel depressed, guilty or worried. Its common for them to feel emotionally numb and cut off from their friends and family.

Tip : Reach Out To Others For Support

Introduction to the PTSD Coach app

PTSD can make you feel disconnected from others. You may be tempted to withdraw from social activities and your loved ones. But its important to stay connected to life and the people who care about you. You dont have to talk about the trauma if you dont want to, but the caring support and companionship of others is vital to your recovery. Reach out to someone you can connect with for an uninterrupted period of time, someone who will listen when you want to talk without judging, criticizing, or continually getting distracted. That person may be your significant other, a family member, a friend, or a professional therapist. Or you could try:

Volunteering your time or reaching out to a friend in need. This is not only a great way to connect to others, but can also help you reclaim your sense of control.

Joining a PTSD support group. This can help you feel less isolated and alone and also provide invaluable information on how to cope with symptoms and work towards recovery.

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How Common Is Ptsd

At least half the people in the United States have experienced a traumatic event. Among this group, 10% of men and 20% of women develop PTSD. Women experience neglect or abuse during childhood more often than men. They also experience sexual assault and domestic violence more often. Women tend to experience trauma differently than men, too.

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Impact Of Ptsd On Relationships And Day

PTSD can affect a persons ability to work, perform day-to-day activities or relate to their family and friends. A person with PTSD can often seem disinterested or distant as they try not to think or feel in order to block out painful memories. They may stop them from participating in family life or ignore offers of help. This can lead to loved ones feeling shut out.

It is important to remember that these behaviours are part of the problem. People with PTSD need the support of family and friends, but may not think that they need help.

It is not unusual for people with PTSD to experience other mental health problems at the same time. In fact, up to 80 per cent of people who have long-standing PTSD develop additional problems â most commonly depression, anxiety, and alcohol or othersubstance misuse. These may have developed directly in response to the traumatic event or have developed sometime after the onset of PTSD.

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