I am overwhelmed with the replies that I have received to my story posted in December. Many people have shared their own stories with me and have opened up about their own previous experiences. I am touched and can not begin to express how this has touched my heart. My heart aches for those that have their own experiences with miscarriage. It has been heartwarming to see the support that has come in after posting this and shows me how not alone I am in my loss, even if the situations are not identical. Because of this, I thought I would write a little about another issue that so many people experience, and many close to me have experienced: PTSD.
What is PTSD? PTSD, also known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a type of anxiety disorder that occurs after a traumatic event.
Here are some facts (based on the U.S. population):
About 7 or 8 out of every 100 people (or 7-8% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
About 5.2 million adults have PTSD during a given year. This is only a small portion of those who have gone through a trauma.
About 10 of every 100 (or 10%) of women develop PTSD sometime in their lives compared with about 4 of every 100 (or 4%)
of men.(http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp)
Not everyone that experiences a traumatic event with end up with PTSD, but the numbers are still staggering. The hardest part about PTSD is that there are no set rules as to who will get it, what kind of events will trigger it, every person's symptoms can be different as well, and every person with PTSD may respond differently to it. What do I mean by that, you ask?
Let me explain. I know 4 people that have been diagnosed with PTSD. Each of those 4 people experienced different traumas that caused their PTSD, and each of them have handled the situation differently and show different symptoms to it. I will not give names and will try to keep some of this vague to protect their identities, but I do feel PTSD needs to be discussed and understood.
Because I have people in my life diagnosed with this disorder, I have done some research and have read up on the subject to better understand it myself. One thing I know is that no one person responds the same way to PTSD.
Symptoms of PTSD often are grouped into three main categories, including:
Reliving: People with PTSD repeatedly relive the ordeal through thoughts and memories of the trauma. These may include flashbacks, hallucinations, and nightmares. They also may feel great distress when certain things remind them of the trauma, such as the anniversary date of the event.
Avoiding: The person may avoid people, places, thoughts, or situations that may remind him or her of the trauma. This can lead to feelings of detachment and isolation from family and friends, as well as a loss of interest in activities that the person once enjoyed.
Increased arousal: These include excessive emotions; problems relating to others, including feeling or showing affection; difficulty falling or staying asleep; irritability; outbursts of anger; difficulty concentrating; and being "jumpy" or easily startled. The person may also suffer physical symptoms, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, and diarrhea. (http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/post-traumatic-stress-disorder)
Because everyone responds differently, the levels they respond to can also be different. For example, one person may experience high levels of anxiety leaving their home while others may experience high anxiety when meeting new people. Some may experience withdraw from sex and physical touch while others become promiscuous and seek out touch as a way of forgetting or dealing with the trauma. The four people I know all have some form of flashbacks and nightmares, though only a few have hallucinations associated with their traumas.
I also know a number of people, including myself, that have some form of anxiety issue without having been diagnosed with PTSD. I personally have difficult time in crowds of people I do not know. Let me tell you that most of the time my Christmas shopping consists of my Homemade Products or shopping online because being in a crowded store around the holidays is difficult, especially if I can not leave quickly. I do not have many problems meeting new people, as long as it is only a few people at one time, large groups I can not handle well. I also struggle with sleeping most days of the week. My brain either won't stop running through items that have to be done, or should be done, or with memories of past days. My original post on my miscarriages occurred because of one of these occasions where my brain would not let go of that time and before I could sleep at all, I had to write about my experience.
There are different ways to help with PTSD, but there is no cure for it that I am aware of in all my research. One way to help is with medication. Medication can be used to help with the anxiety attacks and depression. Tranquilizers such as Ativan and Klonopin; mood stabilizers such as Depakote and Lamictal; and neuroleptics such as Seroquel and Abilify are sometimes used. Certain blood pressure medicines are also sometimes used to control particular symptoms. For example prazosin may be used for nightmares, or propranolol may be used to help minimize the formation of traumatic memories (http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/post-traumatic-stress-disorder?page=3). There are also a number of different types of therapy that can help with PTSD as well. Counseling can help a person with PTSD discuss the issues they are facing and bring them to the surface so they can be dealt with. Many people with PTSD have blocked out the events and until facing and dealing with them, can not move forward in their lives. Therapy can also help a person with PTSD find ways of coping with the anxiety they feel.
The bottom line is that this is a real disorder that real people face, an alarming number of people. No one event can cause PTSD as this is usually dependent on the person themselves and their personal trauma. It is important that we do not diminish a person because they have issues. My own traumatic experience with my miscarriages did cause depression, anxiety, and insomnia so technically I could have a form of PTSD as well that went undiagnosed. The important part is to recognize that every person is different and handles situations differently. We do not know what they went through during their life since so many things we keep silent about. Maybe that is the solution. Maybe we should no longer keep silent.
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