More and more couples are finding a divide in their marriage or relationship not because of financial issues or lost romance, but because of PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder is often associated with a person that has gone to war, but this is not the only cause for PTSD. In fact, there are several PTSD causes that you may not know about.
- Anyone that has witnessed or experienced a life-threatening situation can have PTSD.
- Rape, sexual abuse, physical attacks and verbal abuse can cause PTSD.
- People that have experienced life-threatening events, such as a car accident or earthquake, can have post-traumatic stress disorder.
- A sudden death of a friend or family member can cause PTSD.
- Neglected or abused children, both physical and verbal, can experience PTSD.
Sufferers and their significant others often do not realize that PTSD is a serious issue. Symptoms, such as depression, are a major sign of PTSD, but depression can occur for a multitude of reasons. Call Hope & Healing for Life if you have any questions about PTSD at (612) 643-1920.
A person may also be distant, have panic attacks and suffer from physical symptoms. A few signs that you or your loved one may have PTSD are:
- Continual thinking of a traumatic experience. This can be thoughts of the experience in the car, nightmares or flashbacks.
- Irritability, distancing from a loved one, or being on guard at all times is a symptom.
- Avoiding certain places, people or events due to the past experience.
These are just some of the immediate behavioral signals that a person may exhibit when they have PTSD. Other symptoms include:
- Trust-related issues.
- Panic attacks.
- Headaches, stomach pain, tightness.
- Chronic pain, muscle cramps or diarrhea.
- Problems performing daily tasks.
- Substance abuse.
- Suicidal thoughts.
- Trouble sleeping.
- Change in personality.
PTSD causes can also differ in severity. A person watching their animal killed in front of them may have PTSD. A veteran that has seen someone killed in action or had a grenade explode next to them can also suffer from PTSD.
Regardless of the reason, getting counseling quickly after an event takes place will lessen the severity of PTSD. Trauma therapy sessions can occur in groups, or be done individually based on a person’s needs.
People do not need to experience a traumatic event to get PTSD. Some suffers will hear a story about an event or death of someone that they are very close with and have PTSD as a result. PTSD is not often immediate and will occur weeks or months after the trigger event has occurred.
