PTSD Awareness Day

Starting in 2010, Congress named June 27th PTSD Awareness Day. In 2014, the Senate designated the full month of June for National PTSD Awareness.

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.

Any experience that threatens your life or someone else’s can cause PTSD. These types of events are sometimes called trauma.

Types of traumatic events that can cause PTSD include:

• Combat and other military experiences
• Sexual or physical assault
• Learning about the violent or accidental death or injury of a loved one
• Child sexual or physical abuse
• Serious accidents, like a car wreck
• Natural disasters, like a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake
• Terrorist attacks

During this kind of event, you may not have any control over what’s happening, and you may feel very afraid. Anyone who has gone through something like this can develop PTSD.
There are some things that make it more likely you’ll develop PTSD — for example, having very intense or long-lasting trauma, getting hurt or having a strong reaction to the event (like shaking, throwing up, or feeling distant from your surroundings).

It’s also more common to develop PTSD after certain types of trauma, like combat and sexual assault. But there’s no way to know for sure who will develop PTSD.

What are the symptoms?

There are 4 types of PTSD symptoms, but they may not be exactly the same for everyone. Each person experiences symptoms in their own way.

1. Reliving the event
2. Avoiding things that remind you of the event
3. Having more negative thoughts and feelings than before
4. Feeling on edge

Simple Screening

Only a mental health or medical professional can tell you if you have PTSD. If you went through a trauma and answer “yes” to at least three of the questions below, you should have a PTSD evaluation.
In your life, have you ever had any experience that was so frightening, horrible, or upsetting that, in the past month, you:

1. Have had nightmares about the experience or thought about it when you did not want to?
2. Tried hard not to think about the experience or avoided situations that reminded you of it?
3. Were constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?
4. Felt numb or detached from others, activities, or your surroundings?

If you answered “yes” to 3 or more of these questions, talk to a mental health care provider to learn more about PTSD and PTSD treatment. Answering “yes” to 3 or more questions does not mean you have PTSD. Only a mental health care provider can tell you for sure.

Getting Back into the Workplace

Those with PTSD may need guidance back into the workplace.  This is where NTI can help.  At NTI we help individuals with disabilities back into the workplace. We have mentors on our staff to guide you through the process to get you back to work once again.  If you would like to give our non-profit a try and learn more about our services, register at NTI here: https://goo.gl/6rkvC4

Statistics:

Going through a traumatic event is not rare. At least half of Americans have had a traumatic event in their lives. Of people who have had trauma, about 1 in 10 men and 2 in 10 women will develop PTSD.

• 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives. This equates to approximately 223.4 million people.
• Up to 20% of these people go on to develop PTSD. As of today, that equates to approximately 44.7 million people who were or are struggling with PTSD.
• An estimated 8% of Americans − 24.4 million people − have PTSD at any given time. That is equal to the total population of Texas.
• An estimated one out of every nine women develops PTSD, making them about twice as likely as men.

Resources:

For more information and resources visit the National Center for PTSD website at:
www.ptsd.va.gov
http://www.ptsdinfo.org/
https://www.helpguide.org/
http://www.everydayhealth.com/ptsd/guide/resources/

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About the Author: Katherine Buenteo Calucci, Texas native & mother of 2, with over 20 years in Higher Education, primarily in Advising and Career Counseling, bridged her past professional experience to become a Recruiter I for NTI, Inc. When she is not spending time with her children or involved in their school activities, she enjoys reading, writing and expressing herself through art.