Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Jamie, Ava, and Spencer
Background Information
Symptoms of PTSD
- reliving traumatic events
avoiding reminders of the event
emotional numbness
- anxiety
How the symptoms can affect the patient
Avoiding reminders of the event
This is an example of what a PSTD patient might end up doing daily depending on the traumatic event they suffered
ex- They did not have their back to the wall and someone came up behind them and attacked them.
Night Mares
Causes of PTSD
Violent or physical assault
fire
physical or sexual abuse
natural disasters
car accidents
military combat
witnessing someone else go through traumatic events
- being diagnosed with deadly illness
Violent or physical asault
Car accident
Military combat
Treatments for PTSD
- Psychotherapy, or talk therapy
- Medications
- Depending on the extremity of the disease a combination of both might be required
Therapy
There are several types of Psychotherapy for PTSD:
- Cogitative therapy-helps you know what kind of thinking methods are keeping you stuck on this particular event
- Exposure therapy- Helps you face what you're frightened of
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)- guided eye movements that help you process the memory
Medication
Types of medication for PTSD include:
Antidepressants-helps with depression and anxiety
Anti-anxiety- help with anxiety and stress
Prazosin-helps with insomnia and night terrors
Combination
Important things to know
Statistics
8 million adults are diagnosed every year
10% of women will be diagnosed with it at some point in their life
4% of men will be diagnosed at some point in their life
- 7-8% of people will have it at some point in their life
Other information you should know to help you seek appropriate help
Recovery is a process
it can hurt you and the people around you if you don’t seek help
-For instance, the patient could be reliving the experience in his/her sleep and could unconsciously harm their significant other
- The picture above demonstrates this example
The sooner you seek help the sooner you will recover
What can I do if I think I have PTSD?
- Fill out the questionnaire below
- Talk to a doctor
- Talk to a family member or friend
- If you're a veteran, seek help from a vet clinic or hospital
Questionaire
- Have had nightmares about it or thought about it when you did not want to?
- Tried hard not to think about it or went out of your way to avoid situations that reminded you of it?
- Were constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?
- Felt numb or detached from others, activities, or your surroundings?
If you answered yes to 3 of these questions then contact a doctor
This questionnaire came from:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/treatment/therapy-med/what-if-think-have-ptsd.asp
Local Places to seek help from
Ashville VA Medical Center
PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Outpatient
Bruce L. Purvis-(828)-299-2519
Website: http://www.asheville.va.gov/
Location: 1100 Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC, United States
Phone: 828-298-7911
Durham Clinic
PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Outpatient
Josephine Allen (919) 286-0411 X 7977
Website: http://www.durham.va.gov/locations/HillandaleRoad.asp
Location: 1824 Hillandale Road, Durham, NC, United States
Phone: 919-383-6107
Fayetteville VA Medical Center
PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Outpatient
NA (555) 555-5555
Website: http://www.fayettevillenc.va.gov/
Location: 2300 Ramsey Street, Fayetteville, NC, United States
Phone: (910)-488-2120 (910)-488-2120
Salisbury - W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center
PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Outpatient
Kristin Humphrey, PhD (704) 638-9000 X 3175
Specialized Inpatient PTSD Unit (SIPU) Inpatient
Kristin Humphrey, PhD (704) 638-9000 X 3175
Website: http://www.salisbury.va.gov/
Location: 1601 Brenner Avenue, Salisbury, NC, United States
Phone: (704)-638-9000 (704)-638-9000
Works Cited
Symptoms and Causes- http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/
Treatments, statistics, other information-http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml
What Can I do if I think I have PTSD and the questionnaire-http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/treatment/therapy-med/what-if-think-have-ptsd.asp