How Long Can A Ptsd Episode Last

Throughout their lifetime, at least one-half of all people will experience a traumatic outcome of one kind or another. For some, trauma begins early in life with the devastation of babyhood abuse and other maltreatment, including neglect. Beyond this, there are many other types of events that are inherently traumatic, such every bit military gainsay, rape, and assault, serious motor vehicle accidents, existence stalked, natural disasters, and mass shootings. Mental wellness experts suggest that living through the COVID-19 pandemic is even so some other outcome that has traumatized many people.

It'south normal for anyone who has endured or witnessed experiences like these to have a potent emotional response that could last for days or weeks. Nonetheless, some people accept a delayed and/or prolonged reaction to the traumatic event which can atomic number 82 to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Prevalence and Symptoms of PTSD

According to the National Centre for PTSD, approximately 7-8% of people in the U.S. will develop PTSD during their life—ten% of women and 4% of men. To be diagnosed with this condition, a person volition accept symptoms that include several of these:

• Recurrent and lamentable memories or dreams of the traumatic event
• Prolonged or noticeable psychological and/or physiological reactions to cues resembling the experience
• Flashbacks of the issue or emotional/psychological dissociation when triggered
• Abstention of thoughts, feelings, people, places, or any reminders of what happened
• Difficulty remembering details of the consequence
• Changes in mood, memory, or thinking patterns
• Hypervigilance, sleep problems, anger outbursts, or self-destructive behavior

While all these symptoms can cause pregnant impairment, some are more challenging to manage than others. This is largely due to the amygdala, a structure deep in the brain that is best known for our fight or flight response. When in danger, the amygdala assigns an emotional tag to any experience that could exist life-threatening, and its function is automatically prioritized over other areas of the brain, including those that govern reasoning and memory.

PTSD Episodes: Flashbacks and Dissociation

The amygdala doesn't forget anything that it has accounted every bit unsafe and doesn't discern whether the threat is real or imagined. This plays a big role in untreated PTSD, peculiarly when these symptoms occur:

• Flashbacks are a nightmarish and intense reliving of a traumatic event. Whether it is momentary or lasts a few minutes, hours, or even days, someone going through a flashback is unable to distinguish it from reality. Flashbacks are uncontrollable and are very vivid, likely evoking stiff sensory memories associated with the trauma that was endured and the surroundings in which it happened.
• Dissociation occurs when a person feels separate or asunder from their trunk and surroundings as though they are observing things from outside of themselves. This tends to occur automatically as a coping mechanism to manage traumatic memories and the emotions associated with them. Similar flashbacks, dissociative episodes tin can be fleeting or last for a long time.

The amygdala (the brain's fear center) doesn't forget anything that it has deemed as dangerous and doesn't discern whether the threat is real or imagined. This plays a big role in untreated PTSD. Click To Tweet

Flashbacks and dissociation are ofttimes unpredictable and are caused by triggers in the environs that are reminders of the traumatic event. Such cues can exist sights, sounds, odors, objects, people, places, or any number of things that are somehow associated—even unconsciously—with the fearful experience. The encephalon responds past activating the amygdala as though real danger is imminent. This in turn causes an increase in heart rate, shallow breathing, perspiration, and panic as the fight or flying system kicks in. For Steven, a mechanic, who witnessed a horrific blow that killed x people, his hands would start shaking.

"Grounding" to Outset a PTSD Episode

Although they come on quickly, a person will usually have a little chip of warning prior to the flashback or dissociation. They may feel they are losing their connection to reality or things may first to look blurry. One method for not completely losing bear on with reality is through a technique known every bit "grounding," which is like to mindfulness.

But equally it sounds, grounding tin can help a person stay nowadays so that they recognize their oncoming PTSD symptoms for what they are. This technique involves strategies such as these:

• Engaging each of the senses by identifying things in the immediate environment they tin can see, smell, touch, gustation, and hear
• Moving around—whether by walking, running, or jumping—to help disrupt the trunk's stress response
• Breathing deeply and slowly to help at-home themselves

Mental Health Treatment for PTSD

Information technology is possible to recover from PTSD, and i of the well-nigh effective treatments for this status is called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which the mechanic Steven underwent. This type of psychotherapy is done with a licensed mental health practitioner who is trained and certified in it.

After some sessions for EMDR preparation, a process called bilateral stimulation (BLS) is used. This involves having clients motion their eyes side-to-side as they follow the therapist's finger or having the client hold a pocket-size device in each hand that alternately vibrates. At the same time, a traumatic memory or associated bodily sensations are recalled simultaneously with the BLS. The lark of the BLS makes thinking and talking virtually the experience less terrifying or overwhelming. This method helps the traumatic memories get "unstuck" then they can exist more than fully processed in the brain. This in plow opens the door to greater coping skills and emotional management related to the trauma.

Sadly, without treatment, many people won't fully recover from PTSD. Reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. And though the road to recovery from PTSD and other types of trauma may not be a linear 1, the continued progress can lead to a greater sense of well-being and have more fulfillment in life.

PTSD and other mental health issues can't wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more than important than e'er and waiting until life gets back to "normal" is probable to brand your symptoms worsen over fourth dimension.

At Amen Clinics, we're here for you. We offer in-dispensary brain scanning and appointments, as well equally mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Detect out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.

Source: https://www.amenclinics.com/blog/what-happens-during-a-ptsd-episode/

Posted by: wagnersubbillson.blogspot.com

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