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27 June | National PTSD Awareness Day

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:


Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(C-PTSD) are conditions that some people develop after they experience or witness a traumatic event or serious injury1. This traumatic event can make us feel that: we are out of control, our lives are unpredictable and / or we cannot trust or feel safe with other people.


These emotions are all normal to experience, along with intrusive memories, feeling on edge and trouble sleeping. However, if the symptoms last for longer than a few months and interfere with your daily life, then it may be PTSD or C-PTSD.


Both PTSD and C-PTSD are a normal reaction to an abnormal situation and an innate response that can occur in all people of any ethnicity, nationality, gender, occupation, culture, and at any age2. Around 10% of people will experience PTSD at some point in their life; however, it's estimated that up to 70% of people with PTSD and C-PTSD in the UK do not receive any professional help at all.


We need to raise awareness in three main areas of PTSD and C-PTSD : the causes, the symptoms and the treatments.



What causes PTSD?


The causes of PTSD can be from any event or events which provoke fear, helplessness or horror in response to the threat of injury or death. Some examples are, but not limited to3:


  • Road traffic incident

  • Being told you have a life threatening or limiting illness

  • Violence personal assault

  • Any form of abuse

  • Being a medical or emergency service worker

  • Discrimination

  • Caring with a child with a complex medical condition or disability

  • Employment work where you repeatedly see or  distressing details and events



There are 4 main types of PTSD symptoms4:


  1. Re-experiencing symptoms:

    • Flashbacks

    • Distressing/intrusive thoughts

    • Physical sensations like trembling and pain


  1. Avoidance symptoms:

    • Staying away from specific places and events

    • Keeping yourself busy all the time

    • Using alcohol or drugs to avoid memories

    • Feeling numb and detached from your feelings / body


  1. Alertness and reactivity:

    • Being jumpy

    • Feeling tense, on guard

    • Experiencing panic attacks

    • Self destructive and reckless behaviour


  1. Feeling and mood:

    • Trouble remembering key features of traumatic events

    • Overwhelming negative emotions

    • Loss of interest in previous activities



PTSD and C-PTSD are curable conditions. The first step to receiving treatment should be your doctor, general practitioner, who can refer you to a counselling service. There are two main treatments for PTSD, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Reprocessing and Desensitisation (EMDR)5. You can access therapy or other emotional or physical support through the NHS, MIND, SAMH, PTSD UK and the Samaritans. However, there are other therapies available and other holistic non-pharmacological therapies.


How you can help raise awareness:

  • Get involved: be sponsored and raise money for a PTSD charity doing a walk/ run or other activity.

  • Get involved by raising awareness through social media or talking to people.

  • Talk to friends, family and strangers about it to raise awareness and reduce stigma.

  • Give a talk about PTSD at a local school or community centre so more people have awareness.

  • Attend the online webinars let by Combat Stress, Combat Stress webinars,


How to help someone with PTSD:

  • Help them with tasks they might find triggering due to their traumatic event.

  • Helping them through flashbacks by guiding them through some grounding techniques.

  • Be supportive and understanding.

  • Talk to them to understand what is triggering for them and how to help them.

  • Be a constant presence, keep turning up and doing an activity, such as walking or colouring, or texting to check in.


Looking after someone with PTSD can be extremely hard so if you are a partner / parent / carer of someone with PTSD then it is important to make sure you are checking in with yourself and giving yourself some time to yourself to relax or do something different.



Here are some helpful links for websites that may be useful and informative6:





Footnotes:



 
 
 

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