June is PTSD Awareness Month
The month of June is PTSD Awareness Month, which originally began with PTSD Awareness Day on June 27, 2010, in memory of Staff Sergeant Joe Biel, a National Guard service member who died by suicide. Four years later, the U.S. government designated the entire month of June to be dedicated to PTSD Awareness as an opportunity to educate and advocate for anyone affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
What Is PTSD?
When we look at the formal diagnosis of PTSD, then it is defined as a mental health condition that can result from experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Symptoms can be debilitating and may include:
Nightmares
Flashbacks
Intrusive remembering of the traumatic event, even when they tried not to think about it
Easily becoming startled, hypervigilance, a sense of something bad is about to happen
Trouble sleeping
Difficulty concentrating
Social isolation, avoiding going out and meeting other people
Engaging in risky behaviour and engaging in substance abuse in an attempt to manage their own distress
However, traumatic events are not limited to the big events, such as the veteran who has witnessed the atrocities of war, someone surviving a car crash or seeing someone being hurt or killed. Trauma also happens in both the big and little moments of how life negatively alters you. From bullying to verbal abuse to abandonment and neglect, trauma comes in as many forms, shapes and sizes as the human race. When you feel traumatized you are a normal, feeling, thinking being who has just had a perspective shift that can be shocking, startling, disconcerting and leave you feeling at a loss for how to respond. Simply put :
Trauma is anything less than nurturing that changes your vision of yourself and your place in the world.
How does trauma change a person?
In addition to changes in beliefs about self and the world, developing various coping patterns based on trying to manage the unpleasant and painful symptoms of trauma such as addiction, avoidance of relationships, hypervigilance and isolation, trauma can significantly impact the brain in various ways:
Amygdala: The amygdala, responsible for processing emotions and fear responses, becomes hyperactive after trauma. This heightened sensitivity can lead to intense emotional reactions and hypervigilance1.
Hippocampus: Trauma can shrink the hippocampus, affecting memory and learning. People with PTSD often struggle with memory recall and have difficulty distinguishing past from present1.
Prefrontal Cortex: The prefrontal cortex, involved in decision-making and impulse control, is impaired by trauma. This can lead to impulsive behavior and difficulty managing emotions1.
Nervous System: Trauma activates the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, freeze) and stress hormones. For some, the switch back to normal functioning doesn’t occur, resulting in chronic survival mode (PTSD)
Can PTSD be treated?
A resounding yes to this question! Whilst coping with the impact of trauma can be very distressing and difficult, evidence based treatments and support resources are available. The World Health Organisation has recommended two evidence based treatments found to be effective for treating PTSD, namely EMDR and Trauma Focused CBT; engaging in a therapy that will focus on brain change is important and therefore normal talking therapy may not be sufficient. It is important to seek out suitably qualified clinicians to help you in this journey, addressing PTSD is very painful and requires professional support that will understand you and work with you at the pace that will suit you. Other support resources that have been reported as useful can include somatic therapies such as yoga and mindful practices, engaging in self soothing activities such as relaxation exercise, using breathing to calm your nervous system down, regular exercise as well as engaging loved ones to support you. Recovering from PTSD is not something that you have to do alone.