Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been part of the therapeutic lexicon since the 1980s, when PTSD was added to the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a response to the biological, psychological, and social impact of catastrophic events such as war, rape, natural disasters and surviving prisoner-of-war or concentration
Addiction specialists and mental health professionals know that people affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have an unusual tendency to develop problems related to alcohol consumption. Potential explanations for the link between PTSD and these problems include the use of alcohol as a form of self-medication, the presence of personality traits that make drinking more
What Explains the Link Between PTSD and Alcohol Problems? Read More »
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition involving flashbacks, difficulty sleeping and a variety of emotional responses when faced with subsequent stressful situations. Complicating treatment is PTSD’s tendency to appear in combination with other mental disorders like anxiety, depression or substance abuse. In the case of the latter, experts believe that patients are
How to Treat PTSD and Alcohol Dependence Together Read More »
If you have experienced one or more traumatic events or experiences in your life, you may not realize that they can be related to current problems or symptoms, such as addictions, depression and anxiety, as well as relationship, social and work problems. Often, those who have experienced trauma do not make the connection between what
From flashbacks to feeling numb, the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can make it hard – or virtually impossible – for a veteran to live a full and healthy life. This troubling mental health condition impacts everything in a person’s life – from being able to hold down a job to keeping a marriage
Veterans With PTSD ‘Moral Injury’ Often Use Alcohol as Therapy Read More »
PTSD is the common abbreviation for post-traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety-related disorder that can appear in people who go through some form of physical and/or mental trauma. Because of the condition’s common association with the after effects of warfare, many people think of PTSD primarily as a men’s or a combat soldier’s illness. However, some
Body image is how you feel about your physical self. Body image encompasses physical attributes visible to everyone, such as facial features and weight, as well as those features that are more private, such as sex organs. People with positive body image are comfortable with their bodies. They accept flaws and feel good about the
When it comes to trauma, there are a lot of factors that contribute to what a person experiences after they come face-to-face with a horrific event. How is it that some people seem to live through the most appalling of things but end up rising above them? A recent study suggests that it may have
Effects of PTSD Dulled by Social Interaction and Acceptance Read More »
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is an Anxiety Disorder caused by exposure to a traumatic event. It is characterized by symptoms of hyperarousal, re-experiencing of the trauma, emotional numbing, and efforts to avoid reminders of the adverse events. PTSD can be a brief and acute condition or a more chronic and persistent one. Considered a
Stress can have a myriad of effects on a person’s life that can include physical and mental problems. For those who have been exposed to a traumatic experience, extreme stress enters the picture and has a lasting effect on the body. One of the important things to know when going through such a situation is
Extreme Stress: Understanding the Body’s Response Read More »