PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a mental disorder that arises after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic or very unpleasant event. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that makes sufferers remember traumatic events. Some of the traumatic events that can trigger PTSD are war, accidents, natural disasters, and sexual harassment. However, not everyone who remembers a traumatic event develops PTSD. There are specific signs of mental illness used to determine whether a person has PTSD.
PTSD can occur after experiencing or witnessing a frightening or life-threatening event. It is not known exactly why these events cause PTSD in some people. However, it is suspected that the cause is a combination of the following conditions:
Unpleasant experience
Family history of mental disorders
Temperament innate personality
Symptoms of PTSD are almost similar to Stockholm syndrome which appears after a person has experienced a traumatic event. The severity and duration of symptoms also varies from patient to patient.
Some of the symptoms that indicate a person has PTSD are:
1. Memories of a traumatic event
People with PTSD often remember the events that traumatized them. In fact, the patient feels as if the incident is repeating itself. Memories of traumatic events are also often present in nightmares so that sufferers are emotionally depressed.
2. Tendency to evade
People with PTSD are reluctant to think about or talk about the events that traumatized them. Therefore, sufferers will avoid places, activities, and people associated with the traumatic event.
3. Negative thoughts and feelings
People with PTSD tend to blame themselves or others. In addition, sufferers also lose interest in activities they used to enjoy and feel hopeless. Sufferers are also more aloof and find it difficult to establish relationships with other people.
4. Changes in behavior and emotions
People with PTSD are often easily frightened or angry even though they are not triggered by memories of the traumatic event. This change in behavior is often a danger to himself or others. Patients also have difficulty sleeping and concentrating.
PTSD can occur in both children and adults. However, in children, there are specific symptoms, including:
Frequently reenacting traumatic events through play
Do not dare to be separated from parents or siblings, even if only for a moment
Frequent bedwetting even though you have been able to urinate in the toilet before.
