Who Suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Anxiety disorders encompass a number of medical conditions deal with anxiety, and one of these conditions in particular is post-traumatic stress disorder. Unlike other mental illnesses, post-traumatic stress disorder has nothing to do with genetics. It is purely derived from your experiences in the past. Millions of people deal with post-traumatic stress disorder every year, and if you know someone who has had one of the following experiences, you should keep a watchful eye in order to be sure that post-traumatic stress disorder does not develop.

The largest group of people dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder is veterans. While at war, veterans are exposed to a number of horrible things, including death, destruction, injury too horrible to imagine, famine, abandonment of children, and rage. Often war is a time of terror, and this takes a toll on mental health. When these military personnel return home, there is often an inability to mesh back into normal society, which is why you’ll se a number of homeless veterans still today. Post-traumatic stress disorder is common, and many veterans experience dreams of their times in the service. The United States government allocates money to help these victims, so if you are a veteran and worried that the things you’ve experienced while at war could be disrupting your life, see a doctor, even if you do not have health insurance to cover treatment costs.

Victims of horrible crimes, especially rape, may also experience post-traumatic stress disorder. This medical condition often shows itself when a person is experiencing something reminiscent of the time when the crime happened. For example, a woman who was raped in the past may not be able to be intimate with another person for a long time. This extends to other crime victims as well. Dreams may occur, or a person may start avoiding certain activities or areas because of fear, even if these places and situations are very safe in rational thought.

Accidents can also cause post-traumatic stress disorder. You may find that you cannot remember a car accident if you suddenly wake up in the hospital. This may not be due to brain injuries, but rather to your brain blocking these memories because they are too difficult to bear to remember. You may also experience other symptoms typical of post-traumatic stress disorder and may form phobias of the things that caused your accident.

Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect anyone, regardless of how strong of a person you may be. When you go through a horrifying event, it is hard to remove yourself from the scare of that situation. Everyone surviving something terrible will have a period of time where they feel fear or nausea when remember the event, but if you find that these thoughts are disrupting your daily life, you should see a doctor for treatment right away.

Are Phobias Controlling your Life?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), over 6 million Americans suffer from specific phobias. A specific phobia is an anxiety disorder that is based on a certain fear. These fears vary greatly from person to person and usually stem from experiences in childhood. Specific phobias go beyond being simply adverse to a certain object or situation and can actually cause panic attacks.

Specific phobias can be difficult to diagnose in comparison to rational fears. There are six main criteria points that doctors use to diagnose specific phobias. First, the fear must be persistent and unfading. In some people, this fear may also be felt even if the object is not around or the situation is not happening, simple because it might be around or happen in the future. The second criteria that must be met for diagnosis is acute anxiety, sometimes even leading to a panic attack, when the object is around or the person is in the situations. Thirdly, the fear itself is irrational and excessive, because there is no immediate danger. Next, a person will start to avoid the object or situation, even if this disrupts daily life. Another criteria is that it disrupts life to the point where it interferes with normal daily functioning and a considerable amount of time is spent worrying about the phobia. Lastly, these symptoms are not attributed to another anxiety condition or disorder.

Fears vary widely, but fall into five categories: animals, natural environments, blood and injury, situational, and other. In some cases, treatment is not necessary. For example, if you have a fear of airplanes, you can simply choose not to fly during your life. However, once the phobia begins to disrupt your functioning on a daily basis, you should see your doctor for treatment. Behavior therapy is usually the best treatment you can get for a specific phobia. With this process, the person is exposed to the object or situation, slowly at first, and with pictures or visualization. Virtual reality is also great for helping others to overcome specific phobias.

It is simply important to seek help if a specific phobia is ruining your life. You can ask your doctor for tips to help you overcome a panic attack or ways in which to avoid objects or situations in healthy ways. While you may never be “cured” from your specific phobia, it is totally possible to let it go enough to be able to live your life normally on a day-to-day basis.