Coronavirus and the imposed lockdown in the year 2020 led to a huge surge in the number of PTSD cases in India. A web-based survey conducted in April 2020 revealed that 28.4 % of people in India had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Studies have also shown that women are more prone to suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder than men.
It mostly occurs as a result of a stressful situation or prolonged state of trauma. Though not everyone who undergoes stress or trauma experiences PTSD, some people might develop it. But before we delve further into the causes, let’s first understand what it means.
A Quick Definition
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is a type of psychiatric disorder that occurs when a person goes through a traumatic event for a prolonged duration. These events include:
- Fatal accidents
- Physical or sexual abuse
- Domestic abuse
- Child abuse
- Traumatic events during childbirth, such as the loss of the child
- A traumatic event at the workplace
- Serious health issues
- Loss of a loved one
- Natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, etc
- Having dreadful experiences of the war etc
Though stress is the body’s normal response, this disorder makes people feel frightened and stressed long after the event. It can cause people to get intense, intrusive, and disturbing thoughts about the event long after it is over. This may occur in the form of flashbacks or nightmares.
It can induce intense feelings of sadness, fear, or anger in the person. This can cause people to feel detached from everyone else. It can also make them avoid situations that trigger past traumatic experiences.
Common Causes
As stated earlier, there can be various causes of this mental health disorder. But there are some major causes of it. Some of these common causes are as follows:
Domestic Violence
Millions of people in India are victims of domestic violence every year. It includes physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual violence, and psychological abuse or threat. In so many cases, the victim has difficulty recovering from the after-effects of the experienced traumatic event.
The risk factors that cause this disorder in domestic abuse victims are:
- Feeling helpless due to the past event
- Having sustained physical injuries in the past
- Having a history of mental health disorders
- Lacking support from friends, family, and community
Though the chances of developing this condition are higher after such events, it can be treated. There is a combination of factors that can be used to find relief. These include self-help techniques, emotional support, therapy, and medications if required.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is also one of the main risk factors for developing this condition. According to the National Family Health Survey-5, it was found that 30 % of women between the age of 18-49 have suffered from physical violence since the age of 15.
It was found that people who have a history of trauma are more likely to experience this condition. There are various ways to control it. It includes learning anger management skills, deep breathing exercises, coping skills, therapy, etc.
Sexual Abuse
Just like domestic and physical abuse, sexual abuse is also one of the main causes of this mental health condition. In fact, studies have shown that many people who experience sexual abuse might end up suffering from PTSD.
But why is that so? It’s because a person who has experienced sexual abuse might experience high-stress after the traumatic event. They might feel scared, anxious, guilty, shame, sad, and angry.
Such people have a high likelihood of developing this disorder. They might experience symptoms like body aches, fatigue, repeated flashbacks, headaches, nightmares, insomnia, and intrusive thoughts. Hence, support from your loved ones and help from a professional therapist is important.
Severe Injuries
Severe injuries can cause a lot of stress and trauma in a person. Injuries sustained during accidents falls, adventure sports, combat, etc., can leave your body and mind in a state of shock. These include burns, paralysis, spinal cord injuries, amputations, electrocutions, etc.
Bad Accidents
Just like physical injuries, bad accidents cause post-traumatic stress disorder in a person as well. Bad accidents are related to bad memories. If you have experienced a traumatic event in the past, for example, If you had a severe car accident, the memories of that event might get triggered in the present. It is because that stored memory might resurface from time to time.
You might experience flashbacks of the event every time you pass by that accident spot. This might cause a sense of stress, fear, and anxiety in you. You might feel the trembling and shaking in your body, just as you did at the time of the accident.
Witnessing an Act of Violence
Witnessing an act of violence can also severely impact you and might make you more prone to developing this disorder. The violence can be either mild or severe. The severity is entirely subjective and varies from person to person, but it most likely causes an impact.
The way you process those emotions goes on to decide whether you will develop PTSD or not. The same event can be traumatic for someone, while it can be easy to cope for others.
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Signs and Symptoms
The signs and symptoms mostly start three months after the event. But, in some cases, it might take years to surface. The severity of symptoms varies from person to person.
The signs and symptoms can be divided into four main categories. These include:
- Reliving: This is one of the most important symptoms of this psychological disorder. The person suffering keeps reliving the same traumatic event repeatedly in their thoughts and memories. This occurs through flashbacks, hallucinations, and nightmares. A striking feature of this symptom is that a certain past traumatic memory is induced in a person repeatedly. These are the symptoms of reliving the same memory:
- Repeated flashbacks of the event happening.
- Repeated nightmares.
- Intrusive thoughts or images of the traumatic event of the past.
- Excessive stress and distress.
- Physical sensations in the body such as pain, excessive sweating, trembling, and nausea.
- Avoiding: The next symptom of this condition is avoidance. These symptoms cause a person to avoid the things that trigger trauma. They try to avoid all those situations, thoughts, and places that remind them of their past trauma. This stage leads them to be detached from their family members and friends. It also leads to the loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. The avoidance can manifest itself in these ways:
- A constant urge to be busy
- Avoiding anything and everything that triggers your past trauma
- Facing difficulty in remembering the past details of the traumatic event
- Feeling emotionally detached from your feelings and emotions
- Feeling detached from your body
- Facing difficulty in expressing your affections to people
- Indulging in self-destructive patterns
- Relying on substances or alcohol to numb your pain and avoid memories
- Increased Emotions: Increased emotions and feelings are another major sign of this psychological disorder. It involves a person having:
- Overwhelming emotions
- Facing difficulty in expressing your affections to people
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Constant bouts of anger outbursts
- Feeling irritable
- Feeling jumpy or startled
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Nausea, diarrhea, and rapid breathing muscle tension
- Negative Cognitions And Mood: Negative cognitions and mood involve the feeling of blame, estrangement, and guilt related to the memories of the past traumatic event. It can lead to delayed motor skills and language development in young children.
When to Get Treatment
Reaching out for help at the right time is extremely important for treating PTSD. But how do you know if you should reach out for help? Well, it’s simple. Just observe your behaviors. Observe how you feel and react.
If you have the above-stated signs and symptoms, do not hesitate to seek help. You might feel scared and lonely but know that you aren’t alone. Your intrusive thoughts and emotions can make you but know that there’s always help available.
Seek PTSD Counseling from a Trusted Therapist With DocVita
Dealing with this PTSD isn’t easy. There’s no “one size fits all” kind of approach to deal with it. You need the right approach and support from your friends and family. But this is not enough to treat this disorder.
In order to cope with this condition, you need help and support from a professional – someone who can understand your problem and customize the treatment based on it. The understanding and insights a professional can provide can never be provided by anyone else. This blog wouldn’t have been possible without the help of one of our trusted therapists, Miss Khushboo Wasan.
Hence you need to reach out to a professional therapist. How do you do that? All you have to do is hop on DocVita’s website and book your first session. We have trusted therapists who can help you cope with your condition better. So, don’t hesitate to book your first session today.