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Facts about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder |
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop
after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm
occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that can trigger PTSD include
violent personal assaults such as rape or mugging, natural or human-caused
disasters, accidents, or military combat. PTSD can be extremely disabling.
Military troops who served in the Vietnam and Gulf Wars; rescue workers involved
in the aftermath of disasters like the terrorist attacks on New York City
and Washington, D.C.; survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing; survivors of
accidents, rape, physical and sexual abuse, and other crimes; immigrants
fleeing violence in their countries; survivors of the 1994 California
earthquake, the 1997 North and South Dakota floods, and hurricanes Hugo and
Andrew;
and people who witness traumatic events are among those at risk for developing PTSD. Families of victims can also develop the disorder.
Fortunately, through research supported by the National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), effective
treatments have been developed to help people with PTSD. Research is also
helping scientists better understand the condition and how it affects the
brain and the rest of the body.
What Are the Symptoms of PTSD?
Many people with PTSD repeatedly re-experience the ordeal in the form of
flashback episodes, memories, nightmares, or frightening thoughts, especially
when they are exposed to events or objects reminiscent of the trauma.
Anniversaries of the event can also trigger symptoms. People with PTSD also
experience emotional numbness and sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, and
irritability or outbursts of anger. Feelings of intense guilt are also
common. Most people with PTSD try to avoid any reminders or thoughts of the
ordeal. PTSD is diagnosed when symptoms last more than 1 month.
How Common Is PTSD?
About 3.6 percent of U.S. adults ages 18 to 54 (5.2 million people) have PTSD
during the course of a given year. About 30 percent of the men and women
who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD. One million war veterans
developed PTSD after serving in Vietnam. PTSD has also been detected
among veterans of the Persian Gulf War, with some estimates running as high as 8
percent.
When Does PTSD First Occur?
PTSD can develop at any age, including in childhood. Symptoms typically begin
within 3 months of a traumatic event, although occasionally they do not
begin until years later. Once PTSD occurs, the severity and duration of the
illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, while others suffer much
longer.
What Treatments Are Available for PTSD?
Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy,
group therapy, and exposure therapy, in which the patient gradually and
repeatedly relives the frightening experience under controlled conditions to
help him or her work through the trauma. Studies have also shown that
medications help ease associated symptoms of depression and anxiety and help
promote sleep. Scientists are attempting to determine which
treatments work best for which type of trauma.
Some studies show that giving people an opportunity to talk about their
experiences very soon after a catastrophic event may reduce some of the
symptoms of PTSD. A study of 12,000 schoolchildren who lived through a hurricane
in Hawaii found that those who got counseling early on were doing
much better 2 years later than those who did not.
Do Other Illnesses Tend to Accompany PTSD?
Co-occurring depression, alcohol or other substance abuse, or another anxiety
disorder are not uncommon. The likelihood of treatment success is
increased when these other conditions are appropriately identified and treated
as well.
Headaches, gastrointestinal complaints, immune system problems, dizziness, chest
pain, or discomfort in other parts of the body are common. Often,
doctors treat the symptoms without being aware that they stem from PTSD. NIMH
encourages primary care providers to ask patients about experiences
with violence, recent losses, and traumatic events, especially if symptoms keep
recurring. When PTSD is diagnosed, referral to a mental health
professional who has had experience treating people with the disorder is
recommended.
Who Is Most Likely to Develop PTSD?
People who have suffered abuse as children or who have had other previous
traumatic experiences are more likely to develop the disorder. Research is
continuing to pinpoint other factors that may lead to PTSD.
It used to be believed that people who tend to be emotionally numb after a
trauma were showing a healthy response, but now some researchers suspect
that people who experience this emotional distancing may be more prone to PTSD.
What Are Scientists Learning From Research?
NIMH and the VA sponsor a wide range of basic, clinical, and genetic studies of
PTSD. In addition, NIMH has a special funding mechanism, called
RAPID Grants, that allows researchers to immediately visit the scenes of
disasters, such as plane crashes or floods and hurricanes, to study the acute
effects of the event and the effectiveness of early intervention.
Studies in animals and humans have focused on pinpointing the specific brain
areas and circuits involved in anxiety and fear, which are important for
understanding anxiety disorders such as PTSD. Fear, an emotion that evolved to
deal with danger, causes an automatic, rapid protective response in
many systems of the body. It has been found that the body's fear response is coordinated by a small structure deep inside the brain, called the
amygdala. The amygdala, although relatively small, is a very complicated
structure, and recent research suggests that different anxiety disorders may be
associated with abnormal activation of the amygdala.
The following are also recent research findings:
In brain imaging studies, researchers have found that the hippocampus—a part of
the brain critical to memory and emotion appears to be
different in cases of PTSD. Scientists are investigating whether this is related
to short-term memory problems. Changes in the hippocampus are
thought to be responsible for intrusive memories and flashbacks that occur in
people with this disorder.
People with PTSD tend to have abnormal levels of key hormones involved in
response to stress. Some studies have shown that cortisol levels are
lower than normal and epinephrine and norepinephrine are higher than normal.
When people are in danger, they produce high levels of natural opiates, which
can temporarily mask pain. Scientists have found that people with
PTSD continue to produce those higher levels even after the danger has passed;
this may lead to the blunted emotions associated with the
condition.
Research to understand the neurotransmitter systems involved in memories of
emotionally charged events may lead to discovery of medications or
psychosocial interventions that, if given early, could block the development of
PTSD symptoms.
For more information about post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety
disorders, contact: National Institute of Mental Health Office of Communications and Public Liaison 6001 Executive Blvd., Room 8184, MSC 9663 Bethesda, MD 20892-9663 Toll-Free: 1-88-88-ANXIETY (1-888-826-9438) Phone: 301-443-4513 FAX: 301-443-4279 Mental Health FAX4U: 301-443-5158 TTY: 301-443-8431 E-mail: nimhinfo@nih.gov NIMH Web site: http://www.nimh.nih.gov For additional information on PTSD, visit the Web site for the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder of the Department of Veterans Affairs at www.ncptsd.va.gov |
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