What is PTSD?

You may have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 如果你经历过创伤性事件，并且处理起来有困难. 这些事件可能包括车祸、强奸、家庭暴力、军事战斗或暴力犯罪. 虽然在这样的事件之后感到一些焦虑是正常的，但它通常会及时消失. 但患有创伤后应激障碍的人，焦虑会更强烈，而且会不断复发. 创伤会通过噩梦、侵入性记忆和闪回重现. These can be vivid memories that seem real. 创伤后应激障碍的症状会导致人际关系出现问题，使患者难以应付日常生活. But it can be treated. With help, you can feel better.

What causes PTSD?

PTSD may be triggered by something that:

• Happened to you
• Happened to someone close to you
• You witnessed

Examples include:

• Serious accidents, such as car or train wrecks
• Natural disasters, such as floods or earthquakes
• 人为的悲剧，如爆炸、飞机失事、枪击
• 暴力人身攻击，如抢劫、强奸、折磨、被囚禁或绑架
• Military combat
• Abuse in childhood

What are the risk factors for PTSD?

There are many risk factors for developing PTSD. 在可能的情况下，认识并解决这些问题有助于预防PTSD. These risk factors include:

• Lack of family or social support resources
• Repeated exposure to traumatic circumstances
• 个人创伤史或急性压力或焦虑障碍史
• Family history of mental health disorders
• Personality traits of vulnerability and a lack of resilience
• History of childhood trauma
• 人格障碍或特征，包括边缘型人格障碍, paranoia, dependency, or antisocial tendencies

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

Symptoms of PTSD last more than a month. They may include:

• Unwanted or intense memories of a trauma
• Nightmares
• 生动的记忆或闪回，让你觉得你正在重温事件
• Feeling worried, fearful, anxious, or suspicious
• 当你想起创伤时的强烈反应(或者有时根本没有明显的原因)
• Intrusive thoughts about combat, death, or killing
• 感觉疏离或孤立，好像你“不是你自己”
• Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed
• Feeling agitated, tense, on edge, or easily startled
• Bursts of anger or irritation
• Problems concentrating
• Trouble falling or staying asleep

创伤后应激障碍的症状可能看起来像其他精神健康状况. Always consult your health care provider for a diagnosis.

How is PTSD diagnosed?

并不是每个经历过创伤的人都会患上创伤后应激障碍，或者出现症状. PTSD is diagnosed if your symptoms last more than one month. 症状通常在创伤后3个月内出现，但也可能在几个月或几年后出现.

How long this illness lasts varies. 有些人在6个月内康复，有些人的症状持续的时间更长.

How is PTSD treated?

创伤后应激障碍的具体治疗方法将由您的医疗保健提供者根据以下情况决定:

• Your age, overall health, and medical history
• Extent of the disease
• 你对特定药物、程序或疗法的耐受性
• Expectations for the course of the disease
• Your opinion or preference

You may think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. 事实上，采取行动让你的生活变得更好需要很大的勇气. 谈论创伤可能很难，但它可以带来很大的不同. The main treatment for PTSD is counseling. 你将与训练有素的治疗师一起学习新的方法来应对你的经历. 药物也可以用来帮助焦虑、抑郁或睡眠. 大多数创伤后应激障碍患者都有咨询和药物治疗的结合.

Types of Counseling

咨询是在一个安全的环境中进行的，可以是一对一的，也可以是集体的. 团体治疗通常是和经历过类似事件的人一起进行的. 创伤后应激障碍通常通过以下一种或多种形式的咨询来治疗. 和你的医疗保健提供者谈谈你的选择，这样你就可以决定一个适合你的咨询形式.

• Cognitive processing therapy. This type of therapyhelps you cope with negative thoughts related to the trauma. 你将与治疗师一起工作，以更好地了解你对所发生的事情的想法和感受. And you’ll learn skills to help you cope with the trauma. CPT won’t make you forget about what happened. But it can make the memories easier to live with.
• Prolonged exposure therapy. 这有助于你以新的方式处理与创伤有关的想法和情况. 你将学习呼吸和放松技巧，在遇到触发因素时让自己平静下来. 在治疗师的帮助下，你可能会进入让你想起创伤的情境. 随着时间的推移，你将学会减少你的反应，这有助于避免. 你也会谈论创伤来帮助你控制你对它的想法和感受.
• Other therapies. Other therapiesfor PTSD include: coping skills training, acceptance and commitment training, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), family counseling, and PTSD psychoeducation.

Key points

• 创伤后应激障碍是一种精神健康状况，其中一个人经历了创伤性事件，导致长期压力.
• The traumatic event can be experienced directly, witnessed, or due to repeated exposure to shocking events. 当一个亲密的朋友或家人受到创伤时，一个人也可能患有创伤后应激障碍.
• 这个人可能会经历闪回，避免紧张的情况，或者在情感上退缩.
• 当症状持续超过一个月时，由医疗保健提供者做出诊断.
• 治疗包括药物和治疗，以减少疾病的情绪影响，提高应对技能.

Next steps

帮助您从医疗保健提供者那里获得最大收益的建议:

• Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen.
• Before your visit, write down questions you want answered.
• 带一个人来帮你问问题，并记住你的医疗保健提供者告诉你什么.
• 在就诊时，写下新诊断的名称，以及任何新的药物、治疗方法或测试. 也写下你的医疗保健提供者给你的任何新的指示.
• 了解为什么要开一种新药或治疗方法，以及它将如何帮助你. Also know what the side effects are.
• Ask if your condition can be treated in other ways.
• 了解为什么要推荐一个测试或程序，以及结果可能意味着什么.
• 知道如果你不吃药或不做检查或不做手术会发生什么.
• 如果你有后续预约，写下日期、时间和目的.
• 如果您有疑问，请了解如何与您的医疗保健提供者联系.