How To Spot Cumulative Ptsd
Because cumulative PTSD is relatively gradual, it can make detection more difficult than PTSD from singular extreme events. Catching the symptoms of cumulative PTSD early is essential when trying to be proactive. Single-episode PTSD and cumulative PTSD share many of the same signs, though they may not be obvious at first:
- Aggressive Behavior
How Does Ptsd Develop As A Result
When a person is repeatedly bullied or harassed, they experience continued negative reinforcement, systematic abuse of power, and ongoing intimidation and emotional pain. And those who are bullied as children tend to have a greater risk of being bullied in their adult lives.5 The characteristic symptoms that develop as a result of bullying are also strongly correlated with that of PTSD, making it more likely that a person who was bullied would develop the disorder.
Persistently experiencing the event means having nightmares or flashbacks associated with the bullying. Memories flood the persons mind at inconvenient times and are distressing and unwanted. Or, when a person sees someone who reminds them of an old perpetrator, they may feel their chest tightening or their stomach clenching.5
Finally, persistent feelings of arousal, reactivity, and hypervigilance refer to the psychological effects associated with trauma reenactment.
The presence of these symptoms can interfere with other areas of functioning, including a persons interpersonal dynamics and academic and occupational success.
While anyone can be susceptible to bullying, research shows that different socioeconomic backgrounds may impact workplace harassment. For example, victims are more likely to have less powerful occupational positions, lower to no higher education, and lower household incomes. However, other research shows that people with opposite traits are also susceptible to workplace harassment.7
Signs And Symptoms Of Trauma & Ptsd
While symptoms of PTSD can vary wildly among individuals, the most common symptoms include:
Intrusive Symptoms these symptoms are connected to the precipitating trauma and begin after the event.
- Flashbacks, or dissociative reactions, that cause an individual to feel as though he or she is reliving the trauma
- Involuntary, persistent and distressing memories of the trauma
- Prolonged and powerful emotional distress to stimuli that remind an individual of the traumatic event
- Physiological reactions to triggers of the trauma
- Repeated nightmares about the trauma
Avoidance Symptoms avoidance symptoms attempt to reduce the level of suffering by an individual by avoiding memories and triggers of the distressing event.
- Avoidance people, places, activities, objects, conversations, and situations that may lead to disconcerting thoughts, feelings, or memories that remind the individual of their trauma
- Efforts or avoidance of memories, thoughts or feelings associated with the event
Negative Mood Symptoms this type of symptom begins with the event and worsens over time.
- Inability to feel positive emotions
- Constant negative emotions
- Overstated negative belief about oneself, others and the world
- Feeling disconnected from others
- Inability to recall a large part of the event
- Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities
- Distortion of thoughts about the trauma that lead to feelings of assigning blame for the event, either to oneself or others
- Extreme startle reflex
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What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events or set of circumstances. An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being. Examples include natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist acts, war/combat, rape/sexual assault, historical trauma, intimate partner violence and bullying,
PTSD has been known by many names in the past, such as shell shock during the years of World War I and combat fatigue after World War II, but PTSD does not just happen to combat veterans. PTSD can occur in all people, of any ethnicity, nationality or culture, and at any age. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD in adolescents ages 13 -18 is 8%. An estimate one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD. Three ethnic groups U.S. Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans/Alaska Natives are disproportionately affected and have higher rates of PTSD than non-Latino whites.
Ptsd’s Role In Other Conditions
In addition to the symptoms of PTSD, veterans are now coping with many of the conditions that can go hand in hand. Some of these include:
- PTSD and substance abuse: It’s thought that substance abuse occurs in roughly a third of men with PTSD. It could be that “self-medicating” may underlie some of this propensity to become addicted to alcohol or drugs.
- Connection between PTSD and pain: Whether related to injuries from the war or one of the painful conditions which arise with age, many Vietnam veterans face chronic pain, and this pain is tied closely with PTSD. The vicious cycle can continue further as the symptoms of PTSD such as muscle tension increase pain, which in turn aggravates the symptoms of PTSD and so on. Finally, PTSD can increase the risk of depression and substance disorders, which in turn, increases pain.
- PTSD and depression: PTSD and depression are closely related as well with nearly half of people with PTSD experiencing clinical depression at some point in time.
- PTSD and heart disease: As with pain, many Vietnam veterans have reached an age when heart disease is very common, and some studies point at PTSD as a risk factor for heart disease in itself. In addition, people with PTSD have an increased rate of diabetes, and diabetes, as we know, is a significant risk factor for heart disease.
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Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder
Disinhibited social engagement disorder occurs in children who have experienced severe social neglect or deprivation before the age of two. Similar to reactive attachment disorder, it can occur when children lack the basic emotional needs for comfort, stimulation and affection, or when repeated changes in caregivers prevent them from forming stable attachments.
Disinhibited social engagement disorder involves a child engaging in overly familiar or culturally inappropriate behavior with unfamiliar adults. For example, the child may be willing to go off with an unfamiliar adult with minimal or no hesitation. Developmental delays including cognitive and language delays often co-occur with this disorder. Caregiving quality has been shown to mediate the course of this illness. Yet even with improvements in the caregiving environment some children may have symptoms that persist through adolescence.
The prevalence of disinhibited social engagement disorder is unknown, but it is thought to be rare. Most severely neglected children do not develop the disorder. The most important treatment modality is to work with caregivers to ensure the child has an emotionally available attachment figure.
Causes And Risk Factors For Ptsd
The primary cause for PTSD is experiencing, witnessing, or learning about an event that causes intense fear, helplessness, and dread. However, researchers are not sure why some individuals develop this disorder while others do not. Its thought that the development of post-traumatic stress disorder is caused by a variety of genetic, environmental, and physical factors working together. Some of the causes for PTSD may include:
Genetic: People who have first-degree relatives with anxiety disorders or other types of mental illness are at greater risk for developing PTSD after exposure to a particularly traumatic event.
Physical: Neuroimaging studies conducted on the brains of people who have PTSD have noted that there are marked differences in the structure of certain brain structures. Additionally, the neurotransmitter levels of dopamine and serotonin may be lower than in those who do not have an anxiety disorder.
Environmental: People who live in high-stress situations, such as in impoverished areas where violence is a part of daily life, may be at increased risk for developing PTSD after a traumatic event. Additionally, all of your life experiences such as the amount and severity of trauma one has experienced since childhood can have an impact.
Risk Factors:
- Existence of other mental health problems
- Lacking good support system
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What Causes Ptsd In Women And Do The Symptoms Differ From Ptsd In Men
When you mention Post Traumatic Stress Disorder , most people think about a male combat veteran who has experienced horrific events during war. They envision a veteran with flashbacks, having nightmares and memories they cannot control. Many movies and television shows have been guilty of showing only men as victims of this disorder. And while there is some truth to that image, PTSD is not limited to people who have served in the military.
Prevention: Is It Possible
Employers of people working in professions where traumatic events are likely to occur, such as the military and emergency services, may offer training or counseling to help their employees reduce the risk of PTSD or cope.
In the emergency medical services , a form of debriefing, known as critical incident stress management , takes place after certain events to try to minimize the risk of stress and PTSD development.
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Ptsd In Children And Teenagers
Older children and teenagers experience similar problems to adults when they develop PTSD. Younger children can express distress in a different way. For example, they may re-live the traumatic event through repetitive play rather than having unwanted memories of the event during the day. Many children have frightening dreams without recognisable content rather than nightmares that replay the traumatic event. Children may also lose interest in play, become socially withdrawn, or have extreme temper tantrums.
About one third of children who experience a traumatic event will develop PTSD.
Other problems that can develop alongside PTSD include anxiety or depression, defiant behaviour, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and in teenagers and young adults, suicidal thoughts and alcohol or drug use.
Complex Ptsd And Emotional Flashbacks
If you have complex PTSD you may be particularly likely to experience what some people call an ’emotional flashback’, in which you have intense feelings that you originally felt during the trauma, such as fear, shame, sadness or despair. You might react to events in the present as if they are causing these feelings, without realising that you are having a flashback.
See our sections explaining and for more information.
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Causes Of Complex Ptsd
Any long-term trauma that causes severe interpersonal stress can result in developing complex PTSD. Typically, it involves circumstances where the victim has little chance of escape, such as:
- childhood physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
- enslavement, enforced labor, or sex trafficking
- long-term imprisonment and torture
- exposure to long-term crisis situations
- long-term objectification
Impact Of Ptsd On Relationships And Day
PTSD can affect a personâs ability to work, perform day-to-day activities or relate to their family and friends. A person with PTSD can often seem uninterested 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 understand what is happening to them or think that they need help.
When PTSD goes on for some time, it is not unusual for people 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 – most commonly depression, anxiety, and alcohol or other substance misuse. These may have developed directly in response to the traumatic event or as a result of the effects of having PTSD.
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When To Seek Professional Help
If you or your loved one have been exposed to a singular or repeated traumatic event and are struggling with symptoms of PTSD, it is important to reach out for help from a healthcare professional with experience in treating PTSD.
There are also a significant number of online resources for those with PTSD.
Why Is Bullying Or Harassment So Harmful
Moreover, targets of bullying are at a high risk of developing mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety disorders.6 While research continues to emerge and unfold about the long-term impact of bullying on a persons psychosocial behavior, studies show that as many as 75% of bullied victims report higher likelihood to develop mental illness.3 Someone who was bullied is also more likely to develop problems with substance abuse as well, from drinking to marijuana use to harder, illicit drugs.2
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Ptsd Symptoms In Women
Women who are victims of a trauma that leads to PTSD often hesitate to seek help from a mental health professional, and it is not uncommon for them to wait years to receive treatment. Sadly, PTSD in women is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed by health professionals because of a lack of training or time spent treating PTSD.
To make matters even worse, many women who are victims of PTSD do not realize they have the disorder. According to Dr. Cira, a lot of women simply dont know they are experiencing the effects of PTSD. Women often internalize, meaning that instead of searching for answers in their world or circumstances, they assume something is wrong with them, Dr. Cira explains. So they might not attribute their own thoughts, feelings, emotions or behaviors to something that happened to them because they just figure this is who they are.
Simon Rego, PsyD, chief psychologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York believes that society has an obligation to recognize that women do suffer from PTSD. We need to do a better job educating people about the causes, symptoms, and treatments for PTSD, he said. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma against mental health disorders in general, and worse, for women reporting PTSD symptoms after an assault. They are often further traumatized by being questioned or challenged about the veracity of the event and their reaction to it.
Importance Of Recognizing Ptsd
Understanding how common PTSD is in Vietnam veterans, and the complications of the condition, it’s clear why it is so important that the condition is recognized. Studies have found several types of treatment to be helpful, but in order to seek treatment, veterans need to be aware that what they are experiencing is something that can improve with treatment.
If you are uncertain whether or not you may have PTSD, look at these requirements for a PTSD diagnosis and make an appointment with your doctor to talk about your concerns.
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What Treatments Are There
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence the organisation that produces guidelines on best practice in health care has not yet developed recommendations specifically for complex PTSD. They caution that the existing guidelines for PTSD weren’t developed for this kind of diagnosis.
You may find standard treatments for PTSD helpful, but many people with complex PTSD need more long-term, intensive support to recover. As part of your treatment you should also be offered support for other problems you experience, such as , or . The treatment you are offered may depend on what’s available in your local area.
See our page for more about the treatments available, which may be useful for complex PTSD. Or visit our page on for tips on how to look after yourself when you have complex PTSD.
Is Cumulative Ptsd More Dangerous
In some ways, cumulative PTSD can be much more of a threat to the sufferer and those around them. Because the stress builds up in small amounts over time, it is easier to be ignored by the sufferer and their support structure.
For instance, if an officer is involved in an on-duty shooting, many departments have procedures and support programs to help an officer deal with potential stress and trauma. There is much less of a stigma attached when seeking help in these types of scenarios, as they are widely acknowledged as a reasonable situation to seek help.
Cumulative PTSD does not have the same level of awareness and support, making it much more difficult to support officers and first responders in need. Many police officers still battle with the stigma attached to seeking mental and emotional support, especially when the sources of stress and anxiety are relatively routine. It is crucial that law enforcement and first responders understand that it is ok to seek help for PTSD from everyday scenarios.
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How Does Ptsd Happen
During a trauma, your body responds to a threat by going into âflight or fightâ mode. It releases stress hormones, like adrenaline and norepinephrine, to give you a burst of energy. Your heart beats faster. Your brain also puts some of its normal tasks, such as filing short-term memories, on pause.
PTSD causes your brain to get stuck in danger mode. Even after youâre no longer in danger, it stays on high alert. Your body continues to send out stress signals, which lead to PTSD symptoms. Studies show that the part of the brain that handles fear and emotion is more active in people with PTSD.
Over time, PTSD changes your brain. The area that controls your memory becomes smaller. Thatâs one reason experts recommend that you seek treatment early.
The Dangers Of Untreated Ptsd
Posttraumatic stress disorder is a serious psychological disease suffered by millions of people who have been exposed to extreme stress, violence or loss. While cases of PTSD can now be recognized in centuries-old reports of mental health symptoms exhibited by soldiers returning from war, the full ramifications of this disease have only been understood in recent decades. New approaches to treating PTSD are now available.
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