What is Posttraumatic Stress?

When someone has experienced or witnessed an event where his/her life or his/her physical integrity has been seriously threatened, it is said that that person has suffered a traumatic experience. Such experiences shatter the person's beliefs about what is safe, and in whom he/she can put his/her confidence or trust. The event can be a natural disaster, an accident or a man made disaster. Floods, fires, earthquakes, car accidents, assaults, rapes, abuse, terrorist outrages, shootings, tortures, kidnaps, being held as an hostage, combats in the war front, captivity as a war prisoner, or internment in a concentration camp are experiences so far of what anybody could expect from life that provoke distressing responses to which the person is not prepared. However, these are NORMAL responses to ABNORMAL events.

From psychology, the symptoms after a traumatic experience are grouped into a diagnostic category called posttraumatic stress disorder. However, not every person responds the same to a traumatic event. For some of them the response appears immediately, while for others it can be delayed months or even years. It is estimated that approximately 75% of sufferers from a traumatic experience remain in shock for several minutes and show symptoms for several days, meanwhile 15%-20% of sufferers shows symptoms for 2-4 weeks.

Typical responses to trauma are changes in the way the person uses to feel, think, and behave. He/she can experience fear and anxiety cued by situations or activities reminding the event (even though, sometimes those feelings seem to come out of the blue). The person has thoughts, memories and images so intense and vivid that may make him/her feel or believe that the event is happening again. Nightmares, restlessness, irritability, startling responses, troubles to concentrate, difficulties to get asleep, etc. are common reactions to trauma. The person may avoid not only thinking about what happened, but also anything that could be a reminder of the event. The avoidance could extent to the point that the person feels numb, unable to feel any emotion. Many people feel angry, guilty, and even ashamed for what happened, or for the things they did or they did not to survive. These feelings can lead to depression, hopelessness, dejection, etc. It is common to start thinking that the world is a dangerous place, and that one should not trust others. Negative ideas and feelings about oneself also occur.

Some people interpret these reactions as a sign of weakness, ignominy, and even insanity. They may believe that they are "going crazy" or to "lose control", that they are "pathetic" or even that they "deserved it". However, as we have pointed out previously, those are NORMAL responses to ABNORMAL events. This does not mean that one only can seat down and wait for the symptoms to lessen. When the stress reaction is very strong and is causing a severe distress or interference in the person's life, the process of assimilating the experience and reducing the symptoms could be aided with an adequate psychological treatment.

It might be that while reading this site you identify yourself with the descriptions of the problem provided above. The Test questions inquire about the presence of some of its features. Although they do not substitute the assessment process necessary to establish a clinical diagnosis, they might be considered as a first approach and a preliminary screening of the problem.

If you also experience a significant distress, or any area of your daily life (leisure, work, school, family, etc.) has been affected by this problem, you might be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. However, remember: this is just a first approach to the assessment process needed before starting any treatment. If you think you might have this problem, seek professional advice so you can decide whether you want or not to receive treatment.