PTSD, Depression and Anxiety
The people who are exposed to the trauma are likely to begin showing symptoms of depression or anxiety after the trauma. They most commonly appear a few days or a few weeks after the traumatic event. It’s possibly apparent, but important, to stress that memories from a traumatic event are very painful & distressing to an individual, in case of PTSD sufferers, they are also recurrent & different from a regular stressful memory. It is not only a matter of recalling what that the traumatic event occurred; for instance, an individual who is silently working or sitting on a crossword puzzle is likely to pause while on the task at hand, and have an experience of a distressing memory of that vehicle accident he saw happen a couple of weeks ago. In contrast, exactly the same person may begin to feel guilty that it hadn’t been him that called ambulance – he was simply standing and looking without knowing what steps to take. This sort of ideas haunt the survivor and regularly cause distress and strong negative emotional feelings.
The people with traumatic events frequently develop depression. There is a feeling of anxiety with no clear reason for it, the heart is racing, the argumentativeness is increasing, when the evening comes, you cannot sleep, haunted by bad dreams. The person starts arguments with the members of family, partner or friends, more commonly makes no sense whatsoever in their eyes, avoids certain situations or places, always struggling and fighting with those disturbing images that come to mind. With time, this starts to affect the persons relationships, work life or ability to perform everyday tasks. Coping with the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder deprives life of joy, leaves no room for having relationships and or just peace of mind. Studies show that depression will probably develop following a stressful life or a prolonged period of stress. Hormones which are related to stress are responsible for alterations in the brain’s chemical balance, which in turn becomes a cause for major depression. Shouldn’t come as a a surprise that these factors put those with post traumatic stress disorder at a greater risk for depression.
There is a common misconception that a depressed person is the one that is sad & crying most of the time. In reality a depressed person can display different set of symptoms, for instance irritability, indifference & numbness. Indifference & numbness are some of the classic symptoms of both post traumatic stress disorder and depression; ex. loss of interest in previously fun, enjoyable, or fulfilling activities, which in turn is likely to cause social isolation. Those who are depressed may also withdraw from social activities simply because they feel that they aren’t a good company. Some other symptoms of depression are difficulty in sleeping, alterations in eating habits and appetite, feeling tired (or sometimes irritated), having trouble in concentration, a loss of interest to have sex, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
