Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a problem in Gauteng, where most adults are highly likely, if not guaranteed, to experience some form of trauma throughout their life. Trauma takes on many shapes when it comes to the development of PTSD. In some cases, it can be subconsciously suppressed, with triggers breaking that wall of suppression and causing the individual to experience mental and physical panic states. In other cases, the trauma is vivid and clear as day. If you struggle with PTSD, Beethoven Recovery Centre is your answer to professional treatment solutions near Gauteng.
Let’s dive into detail about PTSD, how it can develop, how it affects your mind and body, and how it can be treated.
How Does PTSD Develop in an Adult?
- Experiencing Trauma or a Life-Changing Event: We live in a time where job loss, divorce, and crime are at all-time highs. Moreover, adults are being diagnosed with chronic illnesses more frequently because of medical advancements that allow for more accurate testing. All these factors can attribute to the development of PTSD in an adult.
- Carrying Childhood Trauma: Whether subconsciously or being fully aware, adults who experienced childhood trauma may develop PTSD from not truly working through the traumatic event(s) and processing these events accordingly. This can cause PTSD to develop as an adult.
How Does PTSD Affect My Mind and Body?
- Triggers: The most common sign that someone suffers from PTSD is visible when something triggers a thought or a memory of the trauma that they have experienced. Furthermore, unexpected flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts can trigger a person’s PTSD.
- Symptoms: There are 4 primary types of symptom clusters for people who suffer from PTSD:
- Re-Experiencing: Re-experiencing is the first cluster, covering flashbacks, recurring nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.
- Avoidance: Avoidance is the second cluster, causing such a person to suppress their thoughts, avoid social gatherings, and avoid going to specific places that could trigger their PTSD.
- Negative Moods and Cognitions: Negative moods and cognitions make such a person feel an overwhelming sense of hopelessness at times, as well as being emotionally disconnected or experiencing memory gaps.
- Hypervigilance: Hypervigilance is the last symptom cluster, describing high levels of irritability, being on edge, experiencing sleeplessness, and sudden/unexpected physical panic responses.
How Can PTSD be Treated?
- Cognitive Processing Therapy: CPT assists the patient to better understand their trauma and start working towards processing it within a safe and controlled environment. In most cases, patients will have false pretences about the “why” behind their trauma, convincing themselves that it might have been their fault or that there simply isn’t any hope in the world. Such pretences must be shattered.
- Exposure Therapy: Exposure therapy leads the patient to confront their trauma within a therapeutic environment. This gradual exposure to their trauma assists the patient to systematically face their fears and allows them to train their brain to not go into a panic state when faced with the elements that caused them to develop PTSD.
Beethoven Recovery Centre is your answer to a professional psychiatric hospital near Gauteng. We can assist with PTSD treatment and give you the means to take back control of your life. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our treatment solutions.