What is PTSD? Ways to recognize its symptoms and ways to deal with it

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is  a condition that could be defined as failure to get back to normal after witnessing a traumatic event in life.  Person with such a condition could deal with it for months or sometimes even for months. There are certain triggers under the condition that can remind the person of the bad memories causing emotional and physical responses. The person can experience depression, guilt, shock, fear, anxiety and anger that could severely affect his/her mental state.

PTSD can be caused due to a traumatic or a stressful event in the life of a person. It could be an accident, death of a family member, witnessing a violent death, being a victim of torture or witnessed a disaster. However, things like some of the day to day routine like marital conflicts or work stress cannot cause such a condition.

How to recognize?

The person could experience nightmares or memories of the traumatic events. They could have sudden flash blacks of the unpleasant memories which could lead to mental distress. People who suffer from such a condition can easily get stunned and could be scared or uncertain about things. They could also experience numbness in the body or an increase in the heart rate, anxiety and disturbed sleep.

Ways to deal with PTSD

1. It is best to have a psychiatric evaluation if the person is experiencing any symptoms and is having difficulty in sleep or managing work.
2. People who have mild symptoms can manage without medications and try other things like behavioral therapy, mindfulness, exposure therapy and more.
3. Indulge in self-care activities like gardening, listening to music, going on a holiday, treating yourself with a relaxing spa and things that they like to do.

It is important for people to pay attention to their mental well-being. Identifying your mental health condition is equally important to being treated for the same.

Photo Credits: Unsplash