If you have gone through a traumatic experience, it is normal to feel a lot of emotions, such as distress, fear, helplessness, guilt, shame or anger. You may start to feel better after days or weeks, but sometimes, these feelings don’t go away. If the symptoms last for more than a month, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder in which an individual’s ability to function is impaired by emotional responses to memories of a traumatic event. PTSD can occur at any age and can follow a natural disaster such as a flood or fire, or events such as war, a prison stay, assault, domestic abuse, or rape. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in the United States may have caused PTSD in some people who were involved, in people who saw the disaster, and in people who lost relatives and friends. These kinds of events can produce stress in anyone, but not everyone develops PTSD.
At Americare, it’s important for the families or loved ones of the patient to play an active role with our treatment team. Understanding the trauma that led to the patient’s symptoms as well as the typical course of PTSD is crucial in the patient’s care and overall wellbeing. Americare can provide education about medication and its potential benefits and side effects when used to address symptoms associated with PTSD.
Americare can also assist by suggesting effective interventions for painful or irritable symptoms such as:
- Physical aches and pains
- Pounding heart
- Rapid breathing
- Nausea
- Muscle tension
- Sweating
