PTSD & Seafaring

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is PTSD: PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.

Symptoms:

To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must have all of the following for at least 1 month:

• At least one re-experiencing symptom

• At least one avoidance symptom

• At least two arousal and reactivity symptoms

• At least two cognition and mood symptoms

Re-experiencing symptoms include:

• Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating

• Bad dreams

• Frightening thoughts

Avoidance symptoms include:

• Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the traumatic experience

• Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event

Things that remind a person of the traumatic event can trigger avoidance symptoms. These symptoms may cause a person to change his or her personal routine. For example, after a bad car accident, a person who usually drives may avoid driving or riding in a car.

Arousal and reactivity symptoms include:

• Being easily startled

• Feeling tense or “on edge”

• Having difficulty sleeping

• Having angry outbursts

Arousal symptoms are usually constant, instead of being triggered by things that remind one of the traumatic events. These symptoms can make the person feel stressed and angry. They may make it hard to do daily tasks, such as sleeping, eating, or concentrating.

Cognition and mood symptoms include:

• Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event

• Negative thoughts about oneself or the world

• Distorted feelings like guilt or blame

• Loss of interest in enjoyable activities

Coping Techniques:

Practice relaxation methods

• Muscle relaxation exercises

• Breathing exercises

• Meditation

• Swimming, stretching,

• Listening to quiet music

• Spending time in nature

• Talk to others for support

Coping with the symptoms of PTSD

Unwanted distressing memories, images, or thoughts

• Remind yourself that they are just that, memories.

• Remind yourself that it's natural to have some memories of the trauma(s).

• Talk about them to someone you trust.

• Remember that, although reminders of trauma can feel overwhelming, they often lessen with time.