PTSD
This acronym stands for post traumatic stress disorder. It is generally used to describe those who have served in a war. Being involved in a war is a very traumatic experience although there are other things in life that can be traumatic also. Those who have this disorder have the feeling that they will never get past what happened or what they saw. These people should know that they are not alone and they are certainly not the only one who has this type of feeling. There are many organizations and people who are there to give assistance to you if you seek it. They can offer support to help to those in need of counseling or medication that can help them overcome their symptoms and live a normal life again.
It is said that this disorder develops after an event that made you feel helpless or threatened your safety. It is usually the battle scarred soldiers who are the most commonly seen with this disorder but anyone who has been part of an event that they felt was uncontrollable or the outcome was unpredictable can experience PTSD also. A catastrophe can create a reason for PTSD as it will involve many people. There are those who were a part of the catastrophe, those who witness it and those who clean up after it. All of these people could the experience PTSD symptoms.
Rape can have the same results as a catastrophe as can a plane crash, a kidnapping or a violent assault. For kids it might be a medical procedure that could result in PTSD symptoms. Bad dreams that you have because of something that happened in your life is a part of this disorder as is feeling fearful of that thing or anything related to what happened. For most of us, these feelings and thoughts don’t last a lifetime and generally last a few weeks or even just days. Upsetting memories or flashbacks of the event are a few symptoms. Some people have a physical reaction. Their symptoms which can be rapid breathing, a pounding heart, sweating, nausea and tension noticed in their muscles. For other sufferers it can be a noise or a smell that bring about their symptoms. It can be a word, an image or even a color that makes that bad event brought back to life. You can protect yourself by avoiding a certain place or activity that reminds you of the traumatic situation. But you might also loose interest in life in general if you must avoid many things to keep your mind from reliving a bad experience.
