ABC1073 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Introduction

People who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) often portray symptoms and signs of anxiety. This anxiety disorder often makes the victim to engage in unhealthy behaviors such drug abuse in order to release their psychological tension. The three healthy ways that can help a person to cope with anxiety, reduce it or become infrequent include; social support, self-monitoring and distractions.

Social support

Social support can be through group therapy and individual therapy. Group therapy helps a person to easily cope with anxiety because it gives an opportunity for one to develop trust, healthy and supportive relationships with people where he or she gets a platform to share his experience with other group members and it helps one in coping with anxiety disorder. Individual therapy involves getting someone who you trust and share your stressful situations with the individual therapist who will provide the best strategies to deal with the anxiety (Figley, 2013).

Self-monitoring

Self-monitoring involves increasing awareness to ourselves. Lack of self-awareness makes people have uncomfortable thoughts and impression which hinders people from fully expressing themselves. Self-monitoring can be through writing down the uncomfortable, physical sensation and unpleasant situations and when they frequently occur. It helps to reduce anxiety because people are fully aware of their situations and when these situations are at high likelihood of occurring, they are able to express themselves in case of such occurrence. Self-monitoring also helps a person when anxiety occurs unexpectedly with the absence of other people (Min, Yu, Lee & Chae, 2013).  

Use of distractions

Distractions are activities that help one to take off attention temporarily from anxiety. Distraction can be helpful for it enables a person to shift from focusing on strong anxiety that can make it more intense and uncontrollable. By distracting yourself one makes it possible for anxiety to reduce and be manageable and once anxiety has reduced one can use other anxiety reduction skills like expressive writing.

Support systems and resources

Provision of education within the community can help people to understand the PTSD condition and also help them to get the necessary medication. Psychoeducation that includes education and resources assist and empowers a person in decision making for treatment.

Psychotherapy should be encouraged to a person experiencing PTSD. It mainly involves sharing the symptoms with a therapist. A well-informed therapist for trauma creates a favorable and engaging platform for addressing PSTD symptoms (Kiser & Figley, 2013).

Medications also help in addressing some symptoms of PTSD. People who are suffering from PTSD should be provided with the relevant medication like antidepressants that can help in controlling and managing symptoms like anger, worry and sadness.

Encourage consultations. Healthcare professionals who have adequate knowledge and experience related to PSTD should be consulted. The professionals help a person to overcome distressing emotions that arise from reminders of the trauma experience.

Engaging the individual in activities and social services that can help the individual in recovery process. This can be through providing them with a conducive environment to live, having relationships that promote love, hope, support and friendship. Recovery helps people to improve their wellness and health (Sippel, Pietrzak, Charney, Mayes & Southwick, 2015).

Reference

Figley, C. R. (2013). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those

who treat the traumatized. Routledge.

Kiser, L., & Figley, C. R. (2013). Helping traumatized families. Routledge.

Min, J. A., Yu, J. J., Lee, C. U., & Chae, J. H. (2013). Cognitive emotion regulation strategies contributing to resilience in patients with depression and/or anxiety disorders. Comprehensive psychiatry, 54(8), 1190-1197.

Sippel, L. M., Pietrzak, R. H., Charney, D. S., Mayes, L. C., & Southwick, S. M. (2015). How does social support enhance resilience in the trauma-exposed individual? Ecology and Society, 20(4).