Public figures and celebrities are more open about their mental health conditions. This is proven to be a positive sign as the stigma around mental illness have shrunk. However, not all mental health issues are thoroughly discussed, and one of them is PTSD.
PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder is a clinical condition that is a result of exposure to extreme traumatic experiences such as rape, robbery, accidents, torture, combat and more. This can develop at any stage of your life, including your childhood.
Trauma can happen to anyone or anyone can witness it happen to other people. As a result of trauma, the brain switches to survival mode and it tries to avoid similar experiences. This can cause someone to be extremely anxious and hypervigilant and they also screen for danger constantly. This could lead to avoiding any situation, memory or cue that can be a reminder of the experience that is traumatic.
Those with PTSD can experience nightmares, flashbacks and repetitive intrusive memories. They can also experience voices, touch, smells and visions. PTSD are also connected to anxiety and depression.
Studies show that PTSD is common and it is affecting around 8% of the US population. 30% of those with PTSD are veterans and around 30% to 80% are victims of torture and refugees.
Now the question is, can brain scans help diagnose PTSD? Experts say that at the current stage of research and technology, psychologists, psychiatrists and neuroscientists only use brain scans for researching the brain changes in mental illness and not for making any diagnoses. Experts need to combine data from numerous people with a certain mental health issue to determine how different areas of their brain may differ from others in terms of volume or function.
Experts diagnose PTSD by going through numerous criteria such as intrusive symptoms like flashbacks, intrusive memories and nightmares. They also check if the patient has a history of exposure to trauma and if they have any negative feelings and thoughts. They also observe the patient if they show any significant dysfunction or distress and if there are any hyperarousal.
Once the above criteria is met, the expert makes a diagnosis of PTSD. Experts and researchers use the criteria for consistency in their research. They want to make sure that PTSD can pass the threshold of a certain level of severity and diversity of symptoms.
For those who are diagnosed with PTSD, their treatment involves medications, mostly antidepressants, and psychotherapy.
