A person with PTSD relives traumatic events they have been part of or witness through nightmares, flashbacks and have feelings of isolation and guilt. The affects of having to deal with such intense thoughts and emotions leads to irritability. Other symptoms of PTSD are trouble with sleeping/ Insomnia and an inability to maintain the concentration. PTSD is diagnosed when these symptoms are persistent, severe and affect every day life.
I was given a diagnosis after I hit my first mental health crisis. In the past even before my diagnosis I had nightmares and flashbacks in my sleep, so terrifying that I woke myself screaming, clawing at my chest and hyperventilating through violent crying. Sometimes I don't wake up and family members hear me and have to wake me to remind me that I am not I that place anymore. This leads me to sometimes feel frightened to go to sleep, I don't want to see those things anymore, this leads to a bout of severe insomnia. When I suffer with a bout of insomnia, I don't sleep at all, I stay awake for days and weeks on end, I don't want to sleep and even when I try my body wont let me as it tries to avoid the traumas that come in my sleep. I feel like the only person awake in the whole world. Even if I can see a light on in a house nearby, I am the only one. When I am severely sleep deprived it has a negative impact on my mental health and the way I manage it, it can lead me straight into crisis. After about a week of no sleep the hallucinations begin. I see black mists in the corners of the rooms and can visually see the flashbacks in front of me. The only way I can describe these hours in the dead of night are; terrifying and full of my deepest darkest thoughts and memories. When you combat these symptoms day to day, you become mentally exhausted and experience loss of concentration and become irritable with yourself and those around you, which causes a whole new list of emotions and thoughts about yourself.
Many experiences have been known to cause PTSD;
Serious road traffic collisions
violent assaults such as mugging, robbery and sexual assaults
Prolonged sexual/physical abuse and severe neglect
military traumas and experiences/Prisoner of war/Hostage - of any kind
Environmental traumas - terrorism and natural disasters
Sudden bereavement or loss of a child
You can immediately begin to suffer with PTSD or it can come days, weeks, months or years later. I myself have experienced four of the above traumas. In my short 24 years on this earth. Some of which started immediately and others that have caused PTSD years later on in life. The events during childhood whilst I was developing are the events that have caused the PTSD later on in my life....years later.
I have something called 'complex post traumatic stress disorder' This diagnosis means that the sufferer has experienced repeated/prolonged traumatic experiences. I have encountered many traumas and suffered with prolonged domestic abuse in which all types of abuses were involved. 'complex PTSD' can also lay dormant for years if it was experienced during brain development in childhood. This was the trauma of a parent separation/divorce, followed by prolonged sexual abuse. Events in early life and during development are what cause the complex PTSD and is named as on of the most devastating anxiety/ mental health disorder. The interruption during my cognitive development as a child has played a large role in my main diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. I have a chemical imbalance in my brain.
The only ways in which it can be treated are to have psychotherapies and take anti-depressants. Yes, they do work-But to access psychotherapies to get to the very bottom of the traumas is a long road of crisis, recovery, medication and relapses to be deemed stable for long enough to re open the traumas and work through them. My psychologist is desperate to work with me and to try and make me better but he has to tread carefully and I am still in recovery. He takes my case to a meeting each week to check if I am any closer to stability and being able to maintain it.
PTSD is not a new fangled diagnosis for disturbing behaviours or an excuse and definitely not a joke. Veterans in WW1 &2 were believed to have suffered with the very same thing, unfortunately they were deemed no good for returning to their duties and often shot. Today our soldiers come home distressed, our loved ones experience trauma and it can happen to both adults, adolescents and children. It is so very unfortunate and saddening for sufferers and their families alike. It is nothing to be ashamed of and it is not something you choose. Speak out and make people listen whether it is you or a loved one that needs help, it is not a weakness and you deserve to be recognised. If your children share concerns with you, absolutely believe what they are saying...it could make a difference to their future.