What is Post-Traumatic Stress?
A Brief History of Post-Traumatic Stress and PTSD
Did you know that Post-Traumatic Stress was originally discussed in the mid-1800s by Sir John Eric Erichsen, a prominent surgeon at the time? At the time, railway collisions were pretty common (hooray for more modern safety features!), and after crashes would occur passengers would arrive at their doctor’s offices reporting symptoms that couldn’t be linked to a specific injury from the event. They later found that most of these passengers suffered from whiplash, but also had significant psychological symptoms associated with the accident, exacerbating their physical symptoms.
In the later 1800s Freud (yeah, that guy) began to underscore the importance of emotional expression in discharging (letting go of and processing) symptoms of trauma. Around the same time Pierre Janet was studying the role of dissociation in Trauma, and how our brains may use dissociation as a coping tool when experiencing significantly overwhelming trauma events.
Fast forward to World War I, and the term “shell shock” is coined, and after Vietnam the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is more commonly used. This started to recognize that those who have served may experience events while engaged in combat that significantly impact their mental well-being.
Though leaps and bounds were made in understanding PTSD and it’s symptoms after the Vietnam War, it wasn’t until the 1980s and 1990s that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was made into an official diagnosis in the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, super big book, lots of symptoms lists). Links were started to be made between the brain and the body, particularly how our nervous systems respond under times of acute (and chronic) stress.
Types of Trauma
We now know that it’s not just those who have served that experience symptoms of trauma and PTSD. In the trauma-informed care world, we talk about these different types of traumas:
Developmental (aka. childhood trauma).
Acute (i.e. car accident, death of a loved one, sexual assault, birth trauma, etc.).
Chronic/Complex (occurs over the course of time and/or multiple events).
Vicarious (when you’re exposed to other people’s trauma and start to exhibit symptoms yourself).
Intergenerational (passed down between generations).
Not everyone experiences these events in the same way, so not everyone will experience symptoms of PTSD if they experience or witness a traumatic event. What is good to note is that PTSD typically occurs, “When one’s internal resources are overwhelmed by one’s external experience,” (http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/pastoral/events/Zareth_ed.pdf).
By the Numbers
Curious about the statistics?
The VA reports that about 6 in every 100 people (6% of the US population) will develop PTSD in their lifetime. Many of those will engage in treatment and no longer meet diagnostic criteria, which is awesome! In any given year, however, about 5% of the US population will meet criteria. In 2020, according to the VA, that meant about 13 million Americans met criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.
Other not so fun fact…women are MORE likely to develop PTSD than men (around 8% versus 4%). They state that this is due to the types of traumatic events that women are more likely to experience, such as sexual assault, compared to men.
So, What are the Symptoms of PTSD?
PTSD can look different for everyone, BUT, here are some of the common symptoms:
Anger.
Nightmares/Night Terrors.
Exaggerated Startle Response.
Paranoia/Fear.
Difficulties Connecting with Others.
Physical Pain and Other Symptoms.
What does that look like in the day to day?
Losing Chunks of Time or Forgetting Things that Occurred.
Short Fuse, or Getting Really Angry at “Small” Things.
Daytime Tiredness Due to Lack of Sleep or Dysregulated Sleep.
Jumpiness.
Refusal/Difficulty Engaging in Activities Outside of the House or Comfort Zones.
Guardedness with New or Familiar People.
Digestive Issues, Migraines, Heart Palpitations, Intimacy Issues, etc.
Wow, this paints a pretty bleak picture…is there anything I can do?
Of course!! There are many ways to reclaim your story after experiencing a trauma event, or start feeling the symptoms of PTSD. Here are my top recommendations:
Connect with Others.
Find Safe and Healthy Strategies that Work for You.
Connect with Others.
Find Community Resources.
Connect with Others.
Seek Therapy.
Did I Mention, Connect with Others?
Crisis Resources
The risk for suicide with those struggling with PTSD is high.
Do not hesitate to reach out if you or your loved one are showing risk factors for suicide!
In Maryland: 211
National Suicide Hotline: 988
VA Caregiver Support Line: 1-855-260-3274
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 (press 1) or text to 838255
Text “HELP” to 741-741
Remember that you are not alone. If you’re unsure of where to start, feel free to reach out to me and I’m happy to guide you in the best fit direction for what you need.
There are also a lot of resources listed on my Resources page. Feel free to explore and send any questions my way!
info@malamantiscounseling.com
443-671-4509
