POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (STRESS RESPONSE SYNDROME

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (STRESS RESPONSE SYNDROME)
In the weeks following the terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center, a 43-year old firefighter who helped in the rescue effort is in a state of shock. He can't sleep at night, and during the day he is preoccupied with horrific images. As time passes, he's reassigned to another part of the city, and his distress abates somewhat. His memory of that event fades. When he tries to remember certain details, they are vague or seemingly forgotten. But even after several months, he still has trouble falling asleep and is often awakened by nightmares about the attack. At home, he's withdrawn from his wife and children. He goes to his primary care physician because he just doesn't feel well. The doctor tells him that he has symptoms of post-traumatic distress disorder (PTSD) and refers him to a psychiatrist.
Symptoms: Symptoms fall into the following catagories: reliving the event, avoidance, and hyperarousal. An individual may relay the event through flashbacks, dreams, or intrusive thoughts. Avoidance often comes in the form os withdrawing from people or certain situations, or having difficulty remembering important aspects of the trauma. Common symptoms of hyperarousal include having trouble sleeping, being unusually vigilant, and startling easily. The symptoms that last more than a month to be considered signs of PTSD. Symptoms that fade within a month of a traumatic event are signs of acute stress disorder. PTSD itself has three forms (including its own acute version). They are:
Acute, in which symptoms last 1-3 months after the trauma.
Chronic, in which the symptoms last 3 months or more, and
delayed onset, in which at least 6 months pass between the
traumatic event and the start of symptoms:
Experts differ in their views on the nature and severity of events that
produce PTSD. Some argue that the event responsible must be extreme,
such as being raped or witnessing a murder, while others say that a more
ordinary frightening event, such as a car accident, may also cause PTSD
if it induces intense fear, helplesssness, and horror.
Http://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/anxiety/post-trauma...