Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that can develop after experiencing a traumatic event or witnessing it. Examples of traumatic events that may lead to PTSD include natural disasters, terror attacks, violence, abuse, traffic accidents or severe neglect, but any experience involving danger to oneself or witnessing danger to others can be traumatic. People with PTSD often relive the traumatic event through vivid nightmares and/or flashbacks, which can occur at any time. The severity and distress of their symptoms can make it challenging for sufferers to carry out daily activities. Although symptoms typically develop immediately after the event, individuals who have experienced abuse, neglect, or violence may develop complex PTSD, where trauma occurred during childhood, but symptoms don’t manifest until years later.
Some common symptoms of PTSD include:
- Re-experiencing the trauma, by flashbacks, nightmares, repetitive images or sensations, and physical sensations (including nausea, pain, sweating, or trembling)
- Being easily frightened
- Irritability and angry outbursts,Â
- Sleep problems
- Difficulty with concentrating
- Avoidance and emotional numbing
- Negative thoughts about yourself, others and the world
- Memory problems, sometimes including the trauma itself
- Hopelessness about the future
Sometimes, individuals with PTSD may also experience other emotional difficulties, such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, or substance misuse.
If you believe the above description applies to you, counselling can help you overcome your condition and significantly improve your daily functioning and quality of life.
Which therapeutic approaches might be beneficial?
- Cognitive-behavioral counselling (CBT)
- Schema counselling (ST)
- Dialectical behavior counselling (DBT)
The highly skilled psychologists at Hypoworry Online Counselling are experienced in treating PTSD and can provide support.
