Sadly, disasters are a part of our life today. Both natural disasters like hurricanes or tragedies like the September 11 terrorist attacks take a devastating toll on the people involved in them. Many people who live through these kinds of dangerous events develop an anxiety disorder called post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
Given the recent flooding on the east coast from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, as well as the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, we thought it’d be helpful to see what the evidence says about PTSD.
The best resource we could find is from the National Institute of Mental Health. Researchers there created an online guide that describes PTSD and summarizes the best treatments based on current research.
Not everyone who lives through a dangerous event will develop PTSD. There are some factors that can help people avoid this debilitating condition. They include finding a support group, developing a way to get through the bad event and learn from it, and the ability to act and respond despite being in fear.
According to the research, people who have a history of mental illness, who saw other people get hurt or killed or who have little or no social support after a tragedy are more likely to develop PTSD.
The take-home message is, if you or a loved one have experienced a traumatic event, there are evidence-based steps you can take to avoid or cope with PTSD.
You can help a relative or friend by:
- Offering emotional support, understanding, patience, and encouragement.
- Inviting your friend or relative out for positive distractions.
- Paying attention comments about your friend or relative harming him or herself, and reporting this behavior to a medical professional.
If you’ve experienced a traumatic event, you should:
- Talk to your doctor about how you’re feeling.
- Engage in mild activity or exercise to help reduce stress.
- Try to spend time with other people and tell others about things that may trigger symptoms.
We’d all like to live in a world where disasters don’t happen. But given the realities of our society and environment, it’s important to understand the evidence about living through trauma.
The literature, particularly that from 911, is very clear that support groups and crisis counseling can have the opposite effect resulting in a higher chance of PTSD. One article summed it up best in their title “Bread Yes, Psychiatrist No.” FEMA and the Red Cross have a wide array of materials that are very useful.