What is PTSD and how it can change your life

PTSD is a serious problem that can be caused by various causes. Most often it is associated with wars, natural disasters and emergencies. Do not think that this is the fate of those who have been personally affected by shocks. This syndrome can develop even in bystanders.

The full name of the post-traumatic syndrome is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This can be both a harbinger of a serious illness, and a condition that will pass over time. Once he was considered the scourge of the combatants. Therefore, it was sometimes called "combat fatigue syndrome" and "soldier's heart".

After some military conflicts, other names arose, for example, in the United States they talked about the "Vietnam syndrome" for a long time, and in Russia about "Afghan" and "Chechen".

The symptoms of those who find themselves in this condition may be different. The most characteristic are increased fatigue, sweating, irritability, jumps in blood pressure. In particularly severe cases, there are even hallucinations.

Today, scientists are carefully studying this phenomenon and can already tell a lot about it. But relatively recently, the manifestations of PTSD were associated with simulation, unwillingness to fight and cowardice. Now it is clear that everything is not so unambiguous when it comes to "combat fatigue".

The first step towards understanding the nature of PTSD was made in 1940 by the psychoanalyst Abraham Cardiner. The scientist studied people who fought on the fields of the Second World War, and made an important discovery. Cardiner defined post-traumatic syndrome as physioneurosis. Its action is capable of disabling an entire group of soldiers.

By 1945, there was plenty of data on military stress. The symptoms of the syndrome were highlighted, among which aggression, memory problems, poor concentration, fatigue, depression, various phobias, nightmares became the key ones. Often everything is complicated by alcoholism and, sometimes, drug addictions of various kinds.

At the same time, it was still believed that PTRS - the lot of combatants. It was only by the end of the 20th century that it was officially announced that civilians could also suffer from "combat stress". At the same time, it is not even necessary to be in an armed conflict zone.

The syndrome can be caused by any cataclysm, emotional shock and even a serious family quarrel. But the most unusual reason for it is called the so-called "trauma of the present life". It sounds scary and incomprehensible, but these are just changes in everyday life that occurred without the knowledge of a person.

This is not necessarily a change for the worse. There are situations when the syndrome covered people who moved to a more carefree life. Because of this, the adaptation of the military to everyday life is very difficult. A person's condition can deteriorate rapidly and he cannot do without the help of a specialist.

Self-diagnosis, self-treatment and complete disregard of the problem can lead to very sad consequences. It is no secret that among people who have gone through the war or survived disasters, the percentage of suicides is high. PTRS plays an important role in the sad statistics.

In addition, post-traumatic syndrome can cause severe psychological shock and stress experienced. Even if a person has not suffered physical damage, he has received psychological trauma. Its severity and course of development depends on the type of personality. There is also an opinion that the appearance of post-traumatic syndrome is associated with human behavior in an extreme situation.

It has already been established that those who have fallen into a stupor or a state of shock are more likely to suffer from the syndrome. A survivor, but an inactive person falls under the influence of a powerful stress factor. This is a feeling of helplessness that can cripple the psyche of anyone.

It seems to a person that nothing depends on him, a sense of doom appears. Later, a sense of "survivor's guilt" and dependence on difficult memories may appear. Many people think that they could somehow influence the situation, save the dead, but they could not cope with it. It is incredibly difficult to convince such people.

The situation is completely different for those who behave actively. Those who help others, provide first aid and perform various important and necessary work are less susceptible to PTSD. They gain control of the situation, or at least a sense of partial control. This helps them cope with stress and get rid of its long-lasting and destructive consequences.

In our society, shock and stress are not considered something dangerous and traumatic. It is commonly thought that if a person survived and was not seriously injured, he has no reason for depression and shock. But this is a mistake. There are a huge number of cases when after extreme situations a person could not recover until the end of his life.

Psychologists say that not only the victim can get a shock. During cataclysms, natural, man-made or military, five groups of people can get psychological trauma.

All these people become directly traumatized by the situation or find themselves at risk of resonant psychological stress.

An event that traumatized a person's psyche can destroy his fate. It can turn her way of life, deprive her of the pleasure of life. Experts in the field of psychology say that the more time has passed since the terrible event, the more effort and time it will take to eliminate the consequences.

Therefore, it is not worth putting off seeking psychological help in a "long box". It is important to remember that after the elimination of post-traumatic syndrome, amazing things often happen. People are filled with new vitality and discover opportunities in themselves that they had not previously suspected.

There is a reassessment of the old way of life. The belief in the invulnerability and immortality of man is being destroyed. This gives a huge incentive to life and development. A person finds new resources in himself, because the phrase "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger" is absolutely true.