Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:

Myths, Mystique and
Treatment Options
by Jamal Mustafa, M.D.

Humans have always been exposed to trauma in various forms. Natural disasters; wars with all its brutality; exposure to life threatening situations; individual act of aggression and violation of other persons boundaries (sexually, physically or emotionally) are all examples of what we as humans can experience. People have been and will continue to suffer from what is called PTSD (PostTraumatic Stress Disorder).

Anyone who has gone through a severe traumatic experience knows that for a period of time they continue to have some level of anxiety, apprehension and even fear. Generally trauma victims tend to avoid going back to the place where they were traumatized. Some avoid any type of activity that even circumstantially relates to their trauma. They may fear that they will not be able to survive going back to such a place or activity. Some people exhibit an increased alertness or vigilance, "always being on guard."

To a certain degree these behaviors could be considered naturally occurring protective responses. Most likely humans may have learned these coping strategies over thousands of years, incorporating them in their repertoire of daily living skills.

Of the millions of people in the world who are traumatized every year, fortunately the majority are able to recover and go about having a "normal life." Yet there are people who are unable "to move on with their life" after a traumatic event, even after a reasonable amount of time has elapsed since the original trauma. For these unfortunate victims the above listed symptoms do not fade away. For them life does not go on "as usual."

These individuals may suffer from flashbacks of the original traumatic event, reliving it again and again. Each time the sense of hopelessness is reinforced and increased. These are the people who would be classified as having PTSD. The thing to keep in mind is that these people have suffered enough.

An important basic aspect of treatment is to be supportive in therapy. Insight oriented and various forms of modified cognitive behavioral psychotherapy approaches are helpful and indicated at times. Some traditional psychotherapists even prefer modifications of the analytic techniques and /or interpersonal or psychodynamic approaches. Of course medications are an important treatment tool as well.

There are various medication options and it must be kept in mind that humans are unique individuals, therefore their response to medications is also unique and distinct. Medications may help decrease anxiety and improve general well being of the patient. They do not stop the person thinking about the past events, nor can medications change the past. It is advisable that the person also continue on with regular therapy.

The best advice to anyone who has had the misfortune of experiencing a traumatic event and who experiences the above listed symptoms is to obtain a diagnostic consultation. If PTSD does indeed exist then therapy approach is the way to start treatment. If symptoms are severe enough to warrant medication, then a consultation with a psychiatrist should be obtained.

Copyright 4/05/02 by Jamal Mustafa, M.D.

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To find out more about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, try these sites:

National Institute of  Mental Health
(www.nimh.nih.gov)

National Mental Health Association (NMHA) Information Center
(www.nmha.org)

See also our links to other mental health resources