Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, happens when a person’s brain, and therefore someone’s body, is overwhelmed by trauma that cannot be processed all at once. When this happens, a person’s brain suspends “normal operation” in order to protect them.
Traumatic stress can change brain structure and chemistry, and studies suggest that trauma is associated with changes in key areas of the brain, including the amygdala (processes fear and other emotions), hippocampus (responsible for learning and memory), and the prefrontal cortex (responsible for executive functions like planning, decision-making, personality expression, and social behavior).
Risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing PTSD include genetic predisposition, history of previous trauma, childhood adversity, and lack of social support.
Any form of traumatic stress, including ongoing emotional abuse, can lead to these physiological changes that influence someone’s psychology. Since car accidents, natural disasters, and exposure to war and violence are all traumatic events, they can all lead to a person developing PTSD. While PTSD can and does impact men who experienced war, it affects people of all ages, including women and children, as long as they were exposed to trauma.
Examples of Trauma
The most common examples of events that can lead to PTSD:
• Emotional abuse
• Experiencing or witnessing violence
• Exposure to media coverage of a distressing event
• Imprisonment or even the feeling of imprisonment
• Learning of a traumatic event that impacted a loved one
• Loss of a loved one
• Serious illness
• Witnessing a crime or the aftermath of a traumatic event
What Are the Symptoms of PTSD?
Reach out for help if you’ve experienced trauma and are experiencing some or all of the following symptoms.
Intrusive Thoughts & Re-experiencing
Distressing thoughts
Flashbacks
Nightmares
Physiological reactions
Avoidance
Avoiding reminders
Difficulty concentrating or remembering
Feeling emotionally numb or detached
Negative Changes in Cognition & Mood
Difficulty sleeping
Distorted perception of safety
Guilt, shame, fear, or anger
Negative beliefs
Arousal and Reactivity
Easily startled
Difficulty sleeping
Hypervigilance
Recklessness or impulsivity
PTSD Treatment Options
One or a combination of the treatments may be offered to support healing from PTSD:
• Psychotherapy cognitive behavioral or interpersonal therapy, prolonged exposure, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
• Medications SSRIs, SNRIs, or other medications
• Support groups
• Lifestyle modifications exercise, diet, and sleep
• Experimental brain stimulation therapies transcranial magnetic stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation
At AdventHealth, we strive to care for the whole person, which means keeping you well physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you’re struggling with PTSD symptoms or another mental health condition, reach out to our AdventHealth behavioral health specialists for a personalized treatment plan and expert care that sees and treats the whole you. You deserve to feel whole—in body, mind, and spirit.