What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD or Trauma?
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is related to surviving a traumatic event, in which you feel your life or someone else’s life is threatened. These events can be catastrophic, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, separation, loss, death of loved ones, effects of divorce, Military Trauma, Car Accidents, Violence, Assault, Dog Bites and war zones. Often times the event may be more individualized, such as a serious car accident, physical or sexual abuse, or animal attack.
Most people respond to life threatening event with some fear after the event, but it goes away after a few months. Even if they develop PTSD after the initial trauma, 1 out of 3 people’s symptoms resolve shortly. For those who lives remain disrupted, cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective treatment. Interestingly, some people do not develop symptoms for months or years after the initial event.
What are the symptoms or behaviors as a result of PTSD from a Car Accident?
What about PTSD from a Dog Bite?
A car accident victim called and asked recently, “Can I have PTSD after a car wreck? I thought PTSD was something veterans or child abuse survivors get.”
Yes PTSD can be caused by automobile accidents! Car accidents can certainly be traumatic! You don’t have to experience military war or sexual abuse to develop it. The probability of developing PTSD increases if you or someone else was seriously injured, felt out of control, believed you were in grave danger, or experienced a previous car accident or another traumatic incident.
People rarely expect that a car accident could have such far ranging mental health consequences as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. After an accident, people may avoid riding in a car, driving by the accident site, jump when they hear sirens, have nightmares, and unable to articulate what happened to them. Getting to sleep or remain asleep at night may become a problem. These are some of the symptoms often occur following a car wreck. However after a few months, most people’s fear and anxiety dissipate. However with PTSD, the symptoms persist and get in the way of our day to day functioning. A self-report test is given initially to see if there are sufficient symptoms to warrent a diagnosis of PTSD. This test also determines the severity of the symptoms and ways in which the accident has disrupted a person’s life. View more symptoms at the bottom of this page.
Grief counseling may be called upon when a person suffers anticipatory grief, for someone may feel that a loved one is going to die but it’s not likely. Anticipatory grieving also occurs when a loved one has a terminal illness. This can severely disable a person’s ability to stay present whilst simultaneously holding onto, letting go of, and drawing closer to the dying relative.
Cartoons often shows dog bites as silly, seemingly harmless events. The truth is far more serious. A large percentage of dog attacks leave their victims with debilitating wounds, both physical and psychological. The sound of dogs barking or even going outside can can create crippling fear. Because dogs target the face, neck and head of a child, reconstructive surgery is often required. Even with these surgeries, a child may still have physical and emotional scars. So not only do these children have to face corrective surgery, they also may have difficulty finding friends. It is not unusual for children as well as adults to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from dog attacks. Panic attacks may remain very traumatic and stress provoking long after the bites occur.
If you have suffered from a dog bite and have continued fears, nightmares, and difficulties handling difficult situations with life, call us for a PTSD evaluation (407) 248-0030. It is possible to heal from this trauma and gain coping skills to deal with the difficulties from this very terrifying event.
The Center for Disease Center and the American Veterinarian Association reveal a great deal of statistical information about dog bites. Did you know that: Children are the most frequent targets.
- The highest incident rate is for 5-9 year olds
- For children 10 and under, 77% of injuries are to the face, neck, and head
- The family dog was the aggressor in 47% of the attacks on children 4 and under.
- 4.7 million attacks per year 800,000 of these require medical attention 386,000 require emergency room treatment 32 people died in 2007 from dog mauling and 3 of those were in Florida
- 3 dog breeds most likely to bite are Pit bulls, Rottweilers and German Shepards
- Pit bulls comprise 1/3 of all fatal dog bites
- Male dogs ages 1-5 are three times more likely to bite than spayed or neutered animals
- Dogs chained are 2.8 times more likely to bite than unchained dogs
- Majority of dog attacks happen at home or a friend’s home and insurance companies pay out about $1 billion dollars per year due to dog attacks.
Speak To An Expert for help with Trauma or PTSD – (407) 248-0030
What are other ways to get PTSD?
If you have been in a car accident, dog bite, sexual assault, rape, robbed, or any other traumatic experience then you can have symptoms of PTSD. If you are suffering from PTSD there is no reason to suffer long-term from the consequences.
What Therapies are most effective for PTSD
- EFT – Emotion Freedom Techniques is a very effective short term therapy used in helping people be free from the intense feelings of trauma. This technique is used in addictions treatments as well and in many cases more effective than 12 step programs!
- EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing is used also for Military Veterans and highly successful in freeing them from the intense trauma they have endured in war and used for auto accidents, dog bites, substance abuse, addictions and more! Read More
- TF CBT – Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people change their thinking patterns and the way they react to anxiety provoking situations.
- Rapid Resolution Therapy in a Nut Shell is a method of therapy that pinpoints and addresses an inner issue through clinical hypnosis. Similar to traditional hypnosis the counselor guides the client through their sub-conscious to find the root of their issues. Depending on the issue at hand the counselor will guide each client differently. Rapid Resolution Therapy is the quickest form of therapy for those trying to move on from traumatic events.
- Wellness & Supplements: Interestingly, twenty minutes of aerobic exercise per day is thought to be an effective weapon against anxiety. Good nutrition is essential and adding supplements such as B Vitamins, calcium, amino acids, and Vitamin C may be important but the quality of the supplements are paramount. We can direct you to the right health food stores to get the right brands that often work immediately. Caffeine and cigarettes aggravate anxiety and should be eliminated or decreased. Often with your treatment for PTSD the cravings to smoke or drink caffeine are reduced considerably.
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) Symptoms
A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following have been present:
(1) the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others (2) the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Note: In children, this may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior.
B. The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one (or more) of the following ways:
(1) recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: In young children, repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed.
(2) recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: In children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.
(3) acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated). Note: In young children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur.
(4) intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.
(5) physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.
C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by three (or more) of the following:
(1) efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma
(2) efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma
(3) inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma
(4) markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities
(5) feeling of detachment or estrangement from others
(6) restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings)
(7) sense of a foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span)
D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated by two (or more) of the following:
(1) difficulty falling or staying asleep
(2) irritability or outbursts of anger
(3) difficulty concentrating
(4) hypervigilance
(5) exaggerated startle response
E. Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in Criteria B, C, and D) is more than one month.
F. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Specify if:
Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than 3 months
Chronic: if duration of symptoms is 3 months or more
Specify if:
With Delayed Onset: if onset of symptoms is at least 6 months after the stressor
TLC provides anxiety treatment and anxiety therapy in Orlando, Winter Park, Lake Mary, and Clermont Florida. Call us Today!
