Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats to a person’s life. The symptoms last for more than a month after the event. Young children are less likely to show distress but instead may express their memories through play. A person with PTSD is at a higher risk of suicide and intentional self-harm. Most people who experience traumatic events do not develop PTSD.
What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms
Symptoms of PTSD generally begin within the first three months after the inciting traumatic event, but may not begin until years later. In the typical case, the individual with PTSD persistently avoids either trauma-related thoughts and emotions or discussion of the traumatic event and may even have amnesia of the event.
While it is common to have symptoms after any traumatic event, these must persist to a sufficient degree (i.e., causing dysfunction in life or clinical levels of distress) for longer than one month after the trauma to be classified as PTSD (clinically significant dysfunction or distress for less than one month after the trauma may be acute stress disorder). Some following a traumatic event experience post-traumatic growth.
Associated medical conditions
Trauma survivors often develop depression, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders in addition to PTSD. Substance use disorders, such as alcohol use disorder, commonly co-occur with PTSD. Resolving the problems can bring about improvement in an individual’s mental health status and anxiety levels.
PTSD has a strong association with tinnitus, and can even possibly be the tinnitus’ cause.
In children and adolescents, there is a strong association between emotional regulation difficulties (e.g. mood swings, anger outbursts, temper tantrums) and post-traumatic stress symptoms, independent of age, gender, or type of trauma.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Causes
You can develop post-traumatic stress disorder when you go through, see or learn about an event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation.
Doctors aren’t sure why some people get PTSD. As with most mental health problems, PTSD is probably caused by a complex mix of:
- Stressful experiences, including the amount and severity of trauma you’ve gone through in your life
- Inherited mental health risks, such as a family history of anxiety and depression
- Inherited features of your personality — often called your temperament
- The way your brain regulates the chemicals and hormones your body releases in response to stress
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Risk factors
Persons considered at risk include combat military personnel, survivors of natural disasters, concentration camp survivors, and survivors of violent crime. Persons employed in occupations that expose them to violence (such as soldiers) or disasters (such as emergency service workers) are also at risk.
Other occupations that are at higher risk include:
- Police officers,
- Firefighters,
- Ambulance personnel,
- Healthcare professionals,
- Train drivers,
- Divers,
- Journalists,
- Sailors, and
- In addition to people who work at banks, post offices, or stores.
Trauma
PTSD has been associated with a wide range of traumatic events. The risk of developing PTSD after a traumatic event varies by trauma type and is highest following exposure to sexual violence (11.4%), particularly rape (19.0%). Men are more likely to experience a traumatic event (of any type), but women are more likely to experience the kind of high-impact traumatic event that can lead to PTSD, such as interpersonal violence and sexual assault.
Motor vehicle collision survivors, both children and adults are at an increased risk of PTSD.
Post-traumatic stress reactions have been studied in children and adolescents. The rate of PTSD might be lower in children than in adults, but in the absence of therapy, symptoms may continue for decades. On average, 16% of children exposed to a traumatic event develop PTSD, varying according to the type of exposure and gender. Similar to the adult population, risk factors for PTSD in children include female gender, exposure to disasters (natural or manmade), negative coping behaviors, and/or lacking proper social support systems.
Intimate partner violence
An individual that has been exposed to domestic violence is predisposed to the development of PTSD. There is a strong association between the development of PTSD in mothers that experienced domestic violence during the perinatal period of their pregnancy.
Those who have experienced sexual assault or rape may develop symptoms of PTSD. The symptoms include:
- Re-experiencing the assault,
- Avoiding things associated with the assault,
- Numbness,
- Increased anxiety, and
- An increased startle response.
The likelihood of sustained symptoms of PTSD is higher if the rapist confined or restrained the person if the person being raped believed the rapist would kill them if the person who was raped was very young or very old, and if the rapist was someone they knew. The likelihood of sustained severe symptoms is also higher if people around the survivor ignore the rape or blame the rape survivor.
Military service is a risk factor for developing PTSD. Around 78% of people exposed to combat do not develop PTSD; in about 25% of military personnel who develop PTSD, its appearance is delayed.
Refugees are also at an increased risk for PTSD due to their exposure to war, hardships, and traumatic events. The rates for PTSD within refugee populations range from 4% to 86%. While the stresses of war affect everyone involved, displaced persons have been shown to be more so than others.
The unexpected death of a loved one
The sudden, unexpected death of a loved one is the most common traumatic event type reported in cross-national studies. However, the majority of people who experience this type of event will not develop PTSD.
An analysis from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys found a 5.2% risk of developing PTSD after learning of the unexpected death of a loved one. Because of the high prevalence of this type of traumatic event, the unexpected death of a loved one accounts for approximately 20% of PTSD cases worldwide.
Life-threatening illness
Medical conditions associated with an increased risk of PTSD include cancer, heart attack, and stroke. 22% of cancer survivors present with lifelong PTSD-like symptoms. Intensive-care unit (ICU) hospitalization is also a risk factor for PTSD.
Some women experience PTSD from their experiences related to breast cancer and mastectomy. Loved ones of those who experience life-threatening illnesses are also at risk for developing PTSD, such as parents of children with chronic illnesses.
Women who experience miscarriages are at risk of PTSD. Those who experience subsequent miscarriages have an increased risk of PTSD compared to those experiencing only one. PTSD can also occur after childbirth and the risk increases if a woman has experienced trauma prior to the pregnancy.
Prevalence of PTSD following normal childbirth (that is, excluding stillbirth or major complications) is estimated to be between 2.8 and 5.6% at six weeks postpartum, with rates dropping to 1.5% at six months postpartum. Symptoms of PTSD are common following childbirth, with a prevalence of 24–30.1% at six weeks, dropping to 13.6% at six months. Emergency childbirth is also associated with PTSD.
Genetics
There is evidence that susceptibility to PTSD is hereditary. Approximately 30% of the variance in PTSD is caused by genetics alone. For twin pairs exposed to combat in Vietnam, having a monozygotic (identical) twin with PTSD was associated with an increased risk of the co-twins having PTSD compared to twins that were dizygotic (non-identical twins). Women with a smaller postpartum might be more likely to develop PTSD following a traumatic event based on preliminary findings.
Several biological indicators have been identified that are related to later PTSD development. Heightened startle responses and, with only preliminary results, a smaller hippocampal volume have been identified as possible biomarkers for a heightened risk of developing PTSD.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis
PTSD can be difficult to diagnose, because of the:
- Subjective nature of most of the diagnostic criteria (although this is true for many mental disorders);
- Potential for over-reporting, e.g., while seeking disability benefits, or when PTSD could be a mitigating factor at criminal sentencing;
- Potential for under-reporting, e.g., stigma, pride, fear that a PTSD diagnosis might preclude certain employment opportunities;
- Symptom overlap with other mental disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder;
- Association with other mental disorders such as major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder;
- Substance use disorders, which often produce some of the same signs and symptoms as PTSD;
- Substance use disorders can increase vulnerability to PTSD or exacerbate PTSD symptoms or both;
- PTSD increases the risk of developing substance use disorders; and
- Differential expression of symptoms culturally (specifically with respect to avoidance and numbing symptoms, distressing dreams, and somatic symptoms)
Screening
There are a number of PTSD screening instruments for adults, such as the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5). There are also several screening and assessment instruments for use with children and adolescents. These include the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS), Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire, and UCLA Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index for DSM-IV.
In addition, there are also screening and assessment instruments for caregivers of very young children (six years of age and younger). These include the Young Child PTSD Screen, the Young Child PTSD Checklist, and the Diagnostic Infant and Preschool Assessment.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Assessment
Evidence-based assessment principles, including a multimethod assessment approach, form the foundation of PTSD assessment. Those who conduct assessments for PTSD may use various clinician-administered interviews and instruments to provide an official PTSD diagnosis.
Some commonly used, reliable, and valid assessment instruments for PTSD diagnosis, in accordance with the DSM-5, include the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for the DSM-5 (CAPS-5), PTSD Symptom Scale Interview (PSS-I-5), and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 – PTSD Module (SCID-5 PTSD Module).
Diagnostic and statistical manual
PTSD was classified as an anxiety disorder in the DSM-IV but has since been reclassified as a “trauma- and stressor-related disorder” in the DSM-5. The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD include four symptom clusters: re-experiencing, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition/mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity.
International classification of diseases
The International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10 (ICD-10) classifies PTSD as a “Reaction to severe stress, and adjustment disorders.” The ICD-10 criteria for PTSD include re-experiencing, avoidance, and either increased reactivity or inability to recall certain details related to the event.
The ICD-11 diagnostic description for PTSD contains three components or symptom groups (1) re-experiencing, (2) avoidance, and (3) heightened sense of threat. ICD-11 no longer includes verbal thoughts about the traumatic event as a symptom. There is a predicted lower rate of diagnosed PTSD using ICD-11 compared to ICD10 or DSM-5. ICD-11 also proposes identifying a distinct group with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), who have more often experienced several or sustained traumas and have greater functional impairment than those with PTSD.
Differential Diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
A diagnosis of PTSD requires that the person has been exposed to an extreme stressor. Any stressor can result in a diagnosis of adjustment disorder and it is an appropriate diagnosis for a stressor and a symptom pattern that does not meet the criteria for PTSD.
In extreme cases of prolonged, repeated traumatization where there is no viable chance of escape, survivors may develop complex post traumatic stress disorder. This occurs as a result of layers of trauma rather than a single traumatic event and includes additional symptomatology, such as the loss of a coherent sense of self.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Prevention
The World Health Organization recommends against the use of benzodiazepines and antidepressants for acute stress (symptoms lasting less than one month).
Psychological debriefing
Several meta-analyses find that psychological debriefing is unhelpful and potentially harmful. This is true for both single-session debriefing and multiple-session interventions. As of 2017, the American Psychological Association assessed psychological debriefing as No Research Support/Treatment is Potentially Harmful.
Early intervention
Similar to psychological debriefing, the goal of early intervention is to lessen the intensity and frequency of stress symptoms with the aim of preventing new-onset or relapsed mental disorders and further distress later in the healing process.
Risk-targeted interventions
Risk-targeted interventions are those that attempt to mitigate specific formative information or events. It can target modeling normal behaviors, instruction on a task, or giving information on the event.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Management
Reviews of studies have found that combination therapy (psychological and pharmacotherapy) is no more effective than psychological therapy alone.
Counseling
The approaches with the strongest evidence include behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies such as prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). There is some evidence for brief eclectic psychotherapy (BEP), narrative exposure therapy (NET), and written exposure therapy.
A meta-analytic comparison of EMDR and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) found both protocols indistinguishable in terms of effectiveness in treating PTSD; however, “the contribution of the eye movement component in EMDR to treatment outcome” is unclear. A meta-analysis in children and adolescents also found that EMDR was as efficacious as CBT.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
CBT seeks to change how a person feels and acts by changing the patterns of thinking or behavior, or both, responsible for negative emotions. Results from a 2018 systematic review found a high strength of evidence that supports CBT-exposure therapy efficacious for a reduction in PTSD and depression symptoms, as well as the loss of PTSD diagnosis.
CBT has been proven to be an effective treatment for PTSD and is currently considered the standard of care for PTSD by the United States Department of Defense. In CBT, individuals learn to identify thoughts that make them feel afraid or upset and replace them with less distressing thoughts. The goal is to understand how certain thoughts about events cause PTSD-related stress.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy developed and studied by Francine Shapiro. She had noticed that, when she was thinking about disturbing memories herself, her eyes were moving rapidly. When she brought her eye movements under control while thinking, the thoughts were less distressing.
Interpersonal psychotherapy
Other approaches, in particular involving social support, may also be important. An open trial of interpersonal psychotherapy reported high rates of remission from PTSD symptoms without using exposure. A current, NIMH-funded trial in New York City is now (and into 2013) comparing interpersonal psychotherapy, prolonged exposure therapy, and relaxation therapy.
Medication
With many medications, residual PTSD symptoms following treatment is the rule rather than the exception.
Antidepressants
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) may have some benefits for PTSD symptoms. Evidence provides support for a small or modest improvement with sertraline, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and venlafaxine.
Benzodiazepines
Nevertheless, some use benzodiazepines with caution for short-term anxiety and insomnia. While benzodiazepines can alleviate acute anxiety, there is no consistent evidence that they can stop the development of PTSD and may actually increase the risk of developing PTSD 2–5 times.
Additionally, benzodiazepines may reduce the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions, and there is some evidence that benzodiazepines may actually contribute to the development and chronification of PTSD. For those who already have PTSD, benzodiazepines may worsen and prolong the course of illness, by worsening psychotherapy outcomes, and causing or exacerbating aggression, depression (including suicidality), and substance use.
Prazosin
Prazosin, an alpha-1 adrenergic antagonist, has been used in veterans with PTSD to reduce nightmares. Studies show variability in symptom improvement, appropriate dosages, and efficacy in this population.
Glucocorticoids
Glucocorticoids may be useful for short-term therapy to protect against neurodegeneration caused by the extended stress response that characterizes PTSD, but long-term use may actually promote neurodegeneration.
Other
Exercise, sport, and physical activity
Physical activity can influence people’s psychological and physical health. The U.S. National Center for PTSD recommends moderate exercise as a way to distract from disturbing emotions, build self-esteem and increase feelings of being in control again. They recommend a discussion with a doctor before starting an exercise program.
Play therapy for children
Play is thought to help children link their inner thoughts with their outer world, connecting real experiences with abstract thought. Repetitive play can also be one way a child relives traumatic events, and that can be a symptom of trauma in a child or young person.
Military programs
Many veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have faced significant physical, emotional, and relational disruptions. In response, the United States Marine Corps has instituted programs to assist them in re-adjusting to civilian life, especially in their relationships with spouses and loved ones, to help them communicate better and understand what the other has gone through.
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) developed the Battlemind program to assist service members in avoiding or ameliorating PTSD and related problems. Wounded Warrior Project partnered with the US Department of Veterans Affairs to create Warrior Care Network, a national health system of PTSD treatment centers.
Nightmares
In 2020, the United States Food and Drug Administration granted marketing approval for an Apple Watch app called NightWare. The app aims to improve sleep for people suffering from PTSD-related nightmares, by vibrating when it detects a nightmare in progress based on monitoring heart rate and body movement.
Siddha remedies for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
1. Siddha Preventive Measures
Everybody must practice Siddha preventive measures, whether affected by post traumatic stress disorder or not, but they are the primary steps for switching on to any other Siddha energy remedies, and hence they are important. It helps in one’s capability, effectiveness, productivity, decision-making power, intellectualism, and removing minor health problems.
Earthing, Field Cleaning, and Siddha Brain Exercise/Energizing are three types of preventive measures. Everybody’s tendency is to get attracted toward the word ‘free‘, however, don’t neglect even these Siddha preventive measures are free. Avail of the benefits by practicing them regularly. For ease of understanding of Siddha preventive measures, please watch a video for a live demonstration.
2. Siddha Shaktidata Yog for Parasomnia
This unique Siddha Shaktidata Yog can solve problems related to post traumatic stress disorder with free Siddha energy remedies. Training in ‘Swami Hardas Life System’ methods is not a compulsion, but it would help achieve faster results. This not only gives benefits to self but also can be used for other affected persons, whether a person is in the same house, distantly available in the same city, same nation, or maybe in the corner of the world, however, both procedures have been explained here.
3. Siddha Kalyan Sadhana
Recite this Sadhana with a Sankalp “My post traumatic stress disorder problems are solved as early as possible and I should gain health”, which should be repeated in mind 3 – 3 times after each stanza. Any person irrespective of caste, creed, religion, faith, sex, and age can recite this Sadhana for free, which should be repeated at least twice a day. To know more about it, please click on this link.
4. CCPE products for Post traumatic stress disorder
These products work on the concepts of ‘Conceptual Creative Positive Energy’ (CCPE) within the provisions of ‘CCPE Life System’ and the theory of Quantum Technology to a certain extent. However, the products get activated only whenever touched by a human and then they become capable of solving the problem and achieving health.
The use of CCPE products, being Energy Therapy, is one of the most effective free Siddha energy remedies for persons, who could not undergo training in Siddha Spirituality of Swami Hardas Life System. However, please use these products for post traumatic stress disorder problems as mentioned below:
CCPE Extractor
The CCPE Extractor should be gently moved over the Agya Chakra in a circular motion at least for 30 to 60 seconds, thereafter, follow the same process on the head for another 30 to 60 seconds, which will convert negativity into positivity. This is how the process of using extractor finishes within almost 2 – 3 minutes. It is so simple.
CCPE Booster
Keep one Booster over the Agya Chakra and another over the head for 3 to 5 minutes. You may need to have 3 Boosters and the process would finish within almost 3 – 5 minutes, which establishes positivity. This is how the process of using CCPE Booster finishes within almost 3 – 5 minutes. It is so simple.
Wrapping boosters in a thin cloth and tying them around the head overnight to achieve faster results is permissible but after the use of the CCPE Extractor as explained above.
5. UAM for Post traumatic stress disorder
UAM (Understanding, Awakening & Movement): It is an energy-based process that can be applied by persons who have undergone training for touch therapy. One should have attended a minimum age of 18 years to avail of this golden opportunity. A desirous person can undergo training-process irrespective of caste, creed, religion, faith, and sex. Trained persons can follow the tips explained below for how to apply these free Siddha energy remedies:
- Touch therapy – UAM/leveling as per the symptoms of the disease
- Distant therapy – Siddha Shaktidata Yog, Sight healing
- Sankalp therapy – Siddha Kalyan Sadhana, Vishwa Kalyan Sadhana
- Energy therapy – Use of CCPE products e.g. CCPE Extractor, Booster, and Booster powder
- There are various reasons behind health, peace, and progress-related problems, but effective free Siddha energy remedies would help solve all of them.
Training of Swami Hardas Life System
Any problem with regard to health, peace, and progress can be solved independently without money and medicines by undergoing training in Swami Hardas Life System. Any person irrespective of religion, caste, creed, faith, sex, and age can undergo this unique training.
A daily routine for Post traumatic stress disorder
In general, a daily routine to manage the problem may look like this:
- Perform Siddha Preventive Measures in the morning soon after you wake up
- After taking a bath, do brain exercise (energizing), and Siddha Kalyan Sadhana
- Do regular breathing exercises
- With the help of CCPE Extractor, Boosters apply the remedy as explained above
- Do light exercises routinely
- Adopt the Sattvik diet in your daily life
- Follow healthy lifestyle
- Before going to bed, repeat Siddha Kalyan Sadhana and remedies as suggested
And be sure to sprinkle in some fun during the day: Don’t forget to relax and laugh in between. Laughing is a great way to boost your immune system.
Along with all the above activities, apply free Siddha energy remedies minimum 3 times a day, the more is good. Just try methods of Siddha Spirituality of Swami Hardas Life System, and I am confident that you will surely find improvements within 15 days.
Conclusion
In view of the above, I am confident that you have learned the basics of what are Post traumatic stress disorder, Meaning, symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, prevention, management, and Siddha remedies without money and medicines. As a bonus, you also learned free Siddha energy remedies. Now is the right time to use acquired knowledge for solving related problems for free. Hence, please undergo training, learn Siddha energy remedies, and apply them instantly to get or give instant relief to the needy.
Frequently asked questions
Before posting your query, kindly go through the:
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What is the meaning of Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events, or set of circumstances. An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being. |
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How does physical activity help improve symptoms of Post traumatic stress disorder? Physical activity can influence people’s psychological and physical health. The U.S. National Center for PTSD recommends moderate exercise as a way to distract from disturbing emotions, build self-esteem and increase feelings of being in control again. They recommend a discussion with a doctor before starting an exercise program. |
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How to improve sleep for people suffering from PTSD-related nightmares? In 2020, the United States Food and Drug Administration granted marketing approval for an Apple Watch app called NightWare. The app aims to improve sleep for people suffering from PTSD-related nightmares, by vibrating when it detects a nightmare in progress based on monitoring heart rate and body movement. |
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder
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