Trauma seems to happen every day around the world. Whether you’re flipping through social media or hearing something on the news, there is always something horrible happening to someone else. But when that “someplace else” becomes your life, you may not have any idea what you’ll do to overcome the challenges.
Your brain is programmed to fight for you to live in a happy state. When stressors occur, it works to find a way through them. Sometimes it doesn’t manage those stresses properly, and that leads to the development of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A very real, highly life-threatening condition, PTSD is a mental health disorder that needs attention in a professional setting.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD is a condition that develops after experiencing a traumatic event that goes beyond a typical stressor. Rather, it is a highly emotionally jarring, complex, or devastating condition that leaves a significant impact on your brain. Examples of PTSD include firsthand experience with:
- Natural or human-caused disaster
- Violent personal assaults
- Combat
- Serious accidents
- Watching a loved one suffer intense pain or die
- Watching others lose their lives
It is very personal and impactful. Yet, the change that happens in your brain develops over time. That means most people don’t instantly recognize that they are at risk for PTSD or that it’s impacting their life. As a type of anxiety disorder, PTSD can alter your path in life in numerous ways.
The National Institutes of Mental Health state that an estimated 3.6% of people deal with PTSD in the previous year, and about 5.2% of all females or 1.8% of all males deal with PTSD at some point in their lives.
Signs of PTSD
Recognizing the risk of PTSD means you can seek help sooner rather than later. As noted, PTSD develops over time, often becoming more obvious in the weeks or months after a traumatic experience. Some of the typical signs of PTSD include the following:
- Intrusive, intense thoughts and flashbacks of what occurred, often seeing bits of what you experienced previously
- Avoiding thoughts or feelings associated with the trauma, often being unable or unwilling to think about it
- Changes in mood and disposition, with some people finding it easier to simply stop socializing or to pull out of activities they enjoyed
- Feelings of guilt and shame, even if there was nothing you could do or change in any way
- Intense physical reactions when thinking about the trauma, such as heart palpitations, sweating, and intense dizziness
- Onset of substance use disorder as a way to manage the symptoms you feel
- Physical pain, including the development of stomach pain, digestive problems, chest pain, and headaches
These symptoms of anxiety are not healthy or normal. They need treatment.
These types of symptoms can impact every facet of your life. Relationships, even with people who have no direct implication in the event, become strained. You may find it hard to engage with work or do things that you enjoy. Many people face the intensity of severe anxiety and debilitating depression if they don’t seek treatment for PTSD.
What to Do When You Think You Have PTSD
It’s hard to grasp the thought that something you saw or experienced months or even years ago is still impacting you. For many people, the onset of trauma happens so subtly that you don’t realize what’s happening. In a healthy brain, your mind processes what happened, leading you through the pain, including the grief, anger, and eventual acceptance of what occurred. For those with PTSD, there’s no healing. It just sits in the back of your mind until it becomes very much present in your daily life.
If you think you’re suffering from PTSD, set up some time to speak to a professional about what’s happening. PTSD doesn’t go away. It can worsen over time. For many people, it becomes a factor in the decisions they make, the way they engage (or do not engage) in life, and in their overall well-being. Taking action is effective.
At Willow Creek, we offer a variety of treatment plans that can offer the support you need, including both inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment. That includes strategies for overcoming the hold that PTSD has on you.
Set Up Treatment With Our Team Now
At Willow Creek Behavioral Health, we empower you to heal. That means addressing the underlying health complications you have and creating a strategy that allows you to overcome and reclaim your life. If you believe you may have PTSD, contact us now to learn how we can help you.
