RECOGNIZING STRESS DISORDER AFTER TRAUMA

Many people have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event (death, disaster, serious illness, attack, etc.) throughout their lives. Stress responses after a traumatic experience are normal responses to an abnormal condition, but most of us can usually recover from ourselves. Some of us may become distressed by the intense stress that develops after this traumatic experience with the prolongation, increase and impairment of the functionality of the person and the stress response they give. This is called Sonrası Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ”. In order to understand this condition, you must first understand what the trauma is.

We can evaluate the experiences that cause deterioration in the natural flow of life as “traumatic”. These traumatic experiences are generally uncontrollable and unpredictable, threatening the mental and physical integrity of the individual, causing loss and injury, causing feelings of helplessness, horror and fear in the individual and containing vital threats. In addition to natural disasters such as fire, earthquake, flood, rape, abuse, accidents, chronic and deadly diseases are examples of these experiences.

In order to understand Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it is necessary to master the symptoms of the disorder. These symptoms can be listed as follows:

- The traumatic event is constantly remembered, revived in the mind,

- Intense distress / avoidance of any stimulus (person, place, activity, object, etc.) reminiscent of the event,

- Traumatic nightmares, fear,

- Erasing important details about traumatic life from memory,

- Disconnect from the current environment,

- Focus problem,

- Loss of interest towards the outside world,

- Negative generalizations about himself and the outside world,

- Startled by sudden noises,

- Anger,

- Difficulty sleeping,

The reactions within a month following the traumatic event are acute stress responses, but if these reactions persist after one month and the level increases, the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder should be raised.

Early diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder is very important. The earlier the disorder is diagnosed and the treatment begins, the higher the chance and speed of recovery. Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, EMDR and / or drug therapy can be overcome.

If you think that you or someone close to you have symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that affect the whole life of an individual, it is very beneficial to get psychological support as soon as possible.

I wish you a healthy and peaceful day.

Prof Dr. Ekrem Çulfa  Family & Marriage Psychotherapist