Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was first identified after the First World War, then  it was known as shell shock. It was not officially recognized as a diagnosis until the 1980s.

When we experience a traumatic event the symptoms of PTSD are a common occurrence for most people. This is called an acute stress response. These symptoms may be as a result of a road traffic accident or accident at work. This is known as type 1 trauma. When the trauma includes multiple instances over a longer period of time, such as with childhood sexual abuse, then this is known s type 2 trauma.

Traumatic symptoms or acute stress response can often naturally dissipate over a month. For some people they persist. Symptoms can include flash backs, nightmares and a sense of threat, of being at risk. The brain struggles to process the trauma memory, the sense of threat remains and we usually begin to avoid the triggers associated with the negative symptoms as a coping strategy.