"About 1 in 11 People Will Be Diagnosed with PTSD in Their Lifetime."

“PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a whole-body tragedy, an integral human event of enormous proportions with massive repercussions.” Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW – U.S. social worker, psychotherapist, specializes in the treatment of severe trauma and PTSD.

“PTSD is an anxiety disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a very stressful, frightening or distressing event. People with PTSD often relive the traumatic event through flashbacks and nightmares. They may also have persistent issues with sleep or concentration, negative thoughts, memory loss, irritability and guilt.” Natalie Huet – French journalist. ?

“I have met many, many severely distressed people whose daily lives are filled with the agony of both remembered and unremembered trauma, who try so hard to heal and yet who are constantly being pushed down both by their symptoms and the oppressive circumstances of post traumatic life around them.” Carolyn Spring – U.K. author, trauma survivor.

“The U.S. National Center for PTSD estimates that about 6% of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. Women are twice as likely to experience the condition as men, and veterans and children may also be more susceptible.” Posted April 4, 2023 on HealthDay News by Kristen Ganobsik – U.S. writer specializing on health and wellness issues.

“PTSD has been known by many names in the past, such as “shell shock” during the years of World War I and ‘combat fatigue’ after World War II, but PTSD does not just happen to combat veterans. PTSD can occur in all people, of any ethnicity, nationality or culture, and at any age. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD in adolescents ages 13 -18 is 8%. An estimated one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD. Three ethnic groups – U.S. Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans/Alaska Natives – are disproportionately affected and have higher rates of PTSD than non-Latino whites.” American Psychiatric Association .

“Examples of events that can trigger PTSD include accidents, wars, crimes, fires, the death of a loved one, or any kind of abuse. … Symptoms usually start within 3 months of the traumatic event, but they can begin later. … There are several other conditions related to PTSD, including Acute Stress Disorder, Adjustment Disorder, and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder. Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) is a mental health condition that can occur after a traumatic event. Symptoms are similar to PTSD, so many people confuse the two. However, with ASD, symptoms typically begin immediately after the trauma and can last from 3 days to 1 month after the trauma exposure. … The disorder can be relatively mild or severe. According to the APA (American Psychological Association), an estimated 13–21% of people who survive traffic accidents and 20–50% of survivors of assault, rape, or mass shootings go on to develop Acute Stress Disorder. Treatment for Acute Stress Disorder focuses on controlling symptoms and preventing them from getting worse. Those who do not receive treatment may develop PTSD. … A stressful life event like the death of a loved one or a divorce can cause Adjustment Disorder. … In people with Adjustment Disorder, the symptoms appear within 3 months of the stressor. … Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder is a rate attachment disorder that can occur after a child experiences prolonged trauma before they are 2 years old. … People with PSTD may have other health problems, such as depression, anxiety, personality disorder, or the misuse of substances, such as alcohol or drugs. People with PTSD also have a higher risk of suicidal ideation and attempts.”?Posted September 20, 2022 on Medical News Today by Yvette Brazier – U.K. journalist and Hana Ames – U.K. writer. Medically reviewed by Kendra Kubala, Psy.D. – U.S. psychologist specializing in working with survivors of trauma.

“After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment. … Many abused children cling to the hope that growing up will bring escape and freedom. But the personality formed in the environment of coercive control is not well adapted to adult life. The survivor is left with fundamental problems in basic trust, autonomy, and initiative. She approaches the task of early adulthood――establishing independence and intimacy――burdened by major impairments in self-care, in cognition and in memory, in identity, and in the capacity to form stable relationships. She is still a prisoner of her childhood; attempting to create a new life, she reencounters the trauma. … (R)epeated trauma in childhood forms and deforms the personality. The child trapped in an abusive environment is faced with formidable tasks of adaptation. She must find a way to preserve a sense of trust in people who are untrustworthy, safety in a situation that is unsafe, control in a situation that is terrifyingly unpredictable, power in a situation of helplessness. Unable to care for or protect herself, she must compensate for the failures of adult care and protection with the only means at her disposal, an immature system of psychological defenses.” Judith Lewis Herman – U.S. psychiatrist, researcher, teacher ( Harvard Medical School ), author, has focused on the understanding and treatment of incest and traumatic stress. From the book “Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror”.

“Researchers are getting closer to being able to predict who might be more vulnerable to stress even before they experience trauma. A study of Bay Area and New York police academy recruits by researchers at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, UCSF and New York University is considered one of the first and largest studies to look at biological stress indicators before and after traumatic events. "This study is unique because it looks at people before they've actually been exposed to trauma," said lead author Sabra Inslicht, a psychologist at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCSF. Nearly 300 academy recruits took samples of the waking levels of a stress hormone called cortisol. The results, published in last month's issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry, found that recruits with higher cortisol levels shortly after waking up in the morning were most likely to have stressful reactions to trauma years later as police officers. The new study is part of a larger body of research involving hundreds of recruits from the San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and New York police departments that has been going on for seven years, said Dr. Charles Marmar, who spent 30 years at UCSF before taking over as chairman of the department of psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center. "The basic question is, why is the majority of men and women serving in law enforcement able to withstand repeated exposure to threatening circumstances ... but a minority are somewhat more vulnerable?" said Marmar. … The study found that recruits with a higher "cortisol awakening response" - or a higher level of cortisol after waking up - tended to have stronger reactions to stress shortly after a traumatic event. The reactions - including intrusive memories, increased heart rate and breathing as well as conscious avoidance of the event - are all symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, except in a shorter time frame. … The investigators said similar research could be applied to military recruits and war veterans as well as the civilian population. They said the information is not intended to be used to prevent or discourage people from serving in law enforcement. … (T)he information could be used to help detect, prevent and treat stress disorders. "There are different levels of resilience and vulnerability. People could be matched to roles in law enforcement that play to their strengths," he said. The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Department of Veterans Affair.” Reported January 3, 2023 in SFGATE ( San Francisco Chronicle ) by Victoria Colliver – U.S. health care reporter.

“According to a recent study, four biomarkers that can be easily measured through a simple blood test exhibit certain patterns in people who are now experiencing or are at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. … For the study, researchers analyzed four biomarkers in blood samples from active-duty service members taken before a 10-month deployment, three days after their return and three to six months after their return. The biomarkers have previously been linked to stress, depression, anxiety and mental health disorders. They included: the glycolytic ratio, a measure of how the body breaks down sugar to produce energy; arginine, an amino acid that plays a role in the immune and cardiovascular systems; serotonin, a chemical messenger that helps regulate mood, sleep and other functions; and glutamate, a chemical messenger that plays a role in learning and memory. The researchers divided service members into groups based on measures of PTSD and mental resilience and compared the four biomarkers among the different groups. Participants were classified as having PTSD, sub-threshold PTSD or no PTSD depending on their clinical diagnosis and PTSD symptoms. Researchers classified participants' resilience based on a combination of factors including PTSD, anxiety, sleep quality, alcohol use disorders, combat exposures, traumatic brain injury, and general physical and mental health. Previous studies have shown that people considered to have low resilience based on these measures are much more likely to develop PTSD after deployment than those with high resilience. Comparing these biomarkers in people with different PTSD status and levels of resilience, the results showed that those with PTSD or sub-threshold PTSD had significantly higher glycolytic ratio and lower arginine than those with high resilience. People with PTSD also had significantly lower serotonin and higher glutamate than those with high resilience. These associations were independent of factors such as gender, age, body mass index, smoking and caffeine consumption. … Stacy-Ann Miller, a researcher at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland, said, ‘This could lead to the development of more targeted and effective treatments for PTSD or to identify specific subtypes of PTSD, which may respond differently to different treatments’. ?Posted on March 28, 2023 on DevDisclosure.

“… PTSD is treatable. The earlier a person gets treatment, the better chance of recovery. Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals use various effective (research-proven) methods to help people recover from PTSD. Both talk therapy (psychotherapy) and medication provide effective evidence-based treatments for PTSD. …?One category of psychotherapy, cognitive behavior therapies (CBT), is very effective. Cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy and stress inoculation therapy (described below) are among the types of CBT used to treat PTSD. Cognitive Processing Therapy is an evidence-based, cognitive behavioral therapy designed specifically to treat PTSD and comorbid symptoms. It focuses on changing painful negative emotions (such as shame, guilt, etc.) and beliefs (such as ‘I have failed;’ ‘the world is dangerous’) due to the trauma. Therapists help the person confront such distressing memories and emotions. Prolonged Exposure Therapy uses repeated, detailed imagining of the trauma or progressive exposures to symptom ‘triggers’ in a safe, controlled way to help a person face and gain control of fear and distress and learn to cope.” American Psychiatric Association .

“‘It's a multilayered issue so we need multilayers of treatment, so that we can be well-rounded, well-grounded and very well-supported,’ Dr. Chivonna Childs (Cleveland Clinic staff psychologist) said. ‘Because at the end of the day, that's what we all deserve... a quality of life.’”?Posted April 4, 2023 on HealthDay News by Kristen Ganobsik – U.S. writer specializing on health and wellness issues.

“Employers of people working in professions where traumatic events are likely to occur, such as the military and emergency services, may offer training or counseling to help their employees reduce the risk of PTSD or cope. In the emergency medical services (EMS), a form of debriefing, known as critical incident stress management (CISM), takes place after certain events to try to minimize the risk of stress and PTSD development.” Posted September 20, 2022 on Medical News Today by @ Yvette Brazier – U.S. journalist and Hana Ames – U.K. writer. Medically reviewed by Kendra Kubala, Psy.D. – U.S. psychologist specializing in working with survivors of trauma.

“… ‘Trauma is not just a psychological issue. It is a social one. Consequently, healing requires empowerment and engagement — the opposite of shame and silence. Recovery cannot be simply a private, individual matter,’ writes Judith L. Herman, U.S. psychologist, author, focusing in the understanding and treatment of incest and traumatic stress. But recovery is complicated because the relationships of dominance and subordination that shape our society also shape the way justice is delivered. As a result, even the best version of our current systems of justice is often less than healing for survivors of traumatic attacks, like rape victims. A survivors’ agenda prioritizes the recovery of the victim, Herman says, even above the punishment of the attacker. In fact, survivors are less focused on punishment than the justice system would suggest. Rather, they want trauma-informed training for participants — such as law enforcement — to create compassionate understanding for how victims of violent attacks may feel. The court systems also require change at almost every level. Herman describes a successful specialized court for victims of sex trafficking, based on the understanding that minors working as prostitutes are victims, not criminals.” From a book review by Christine Kenneally – Australian/U.S. journalist of “Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice” by Judith L. Herman from the March 14, 2023 edition of 纽约时报 .

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” Kahlil Gibran – Lebanese/U.S. writer

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known to suffer, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” Elisabeth Kubler-Ross – Swiss/U.S. psychiatrist

“Trauma creates change you don’t choose. Healing is about creating change you do choose.” Michelle Rosenthal – U.S. writer, PTSD blogger, founder of HealMyPTSD.

“Childhood trauma can lead to an adulthood spent in survival mode, afraid to plant roots, to plan for the future, to trust, and to let joy in. It’s a blessing to shift from surviving to thriving. It’s not simple, but there is more than survival.” Anonymous

“Traumatic events destroy the sustaining bonds between individual and community. Those who have survived learn that their sense of self, of worth, of humanity, depends upon a feeling of connection with others. The solidarity of a group provides the strongest protection against terror and despair, and the strongest antidote to traumatic experience. Trauma isolates - the group re-creates a sense of belonging. Trauma shames and stigmatizes; the group bears witness and affirms. Trauma degrades the victim; the group exalts her. Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores her humanity. Repeatedly in the testimony of survivors there comes a moment when a sense of connection is restored by another person’s unaffected display of generosity. Something in herself that the victim believes to be irretrievably destroyed---faith, decency, courage---is reawakened by an example of common altruism. Mirrored in the actions of others, the survivor recognizes and reclaims a lost part of herself. At that moment, the survivor begins to rejoin the human commonality.”?Judith Lewis Herman – U.S. psychiatrist, researcher, teacher ( Harvard Medical School ), author, has focused on the understanding and treatment of incest and traumatic stress. From the book “Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror”.

“When we deny our pain, losses, and feelings year after year, we become less and less human. We transform slowly into empty shells with smiley faces painted on them.” Peter Scazzero – U.S. writer, theologian.

“You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared and anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human.” Lori Deschene – U.S. writer.

“The first principle of recovery is the empowerment of the survivor. She must be the author and arbiter of her own recovery. Others may offer advice, support, assistance, affection, and care, but not cure.” Judith Lewis Herman – U.S. psychiatrist, researcher, teacher ( Harvard Medical School ), author, has focused on the understanding and treatment of incest and traumatic stress. From the book “Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror”.

“Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to our true self and give it the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.” Parker Palmer – U.S. writer, activist.

“Your trauma is not your fault, but healing is your responsibility.” ?Anonymous

“Emotional pain is not something that should be hidden away and never spoken about. There is truth in your pain, there is growth in your pain, but only if it’s first brought out into the open.” Steven Aitchison – UK writer.

“The reason why you need emotional support is because it's important for survivors to be heard. To be understood. To be able to express yourself without fearing criticism or harsh judgement. To be validated for your pain, suffering, and loss. For others to be there for you to encourage you, especially if you're having a bad day or feeling triggered.” Dana Arcuri – U.S. writer, author of “Soul Cry: Releasing & Healing the Wounds of Trauma”.

“There are thousands of causes for stress, and one antidote to stress is self-expression. That’s what happens to me every day. My thoughts get off my chest, down my sleeves and onto my pad.” Garson Kanin – U.S. writer, film/stage director.

“An unhealed person can find offense in pretty much anything someone does. A healed person understands that the actions of others have nothing to do with them. Each day you get to decide which one you will be.” Anonymous

“Heal, so you don’t have to give a sarcastic tone to uplifting messages. Heal, so you never have to make anyone else the object of your own frustration. Heal, so when someone tells you they love you, you may allow yourself to believe them.” Banff Wellness Retreat - Canadian wellness retreat.

“Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain. … There is no standard normal. Normal is subjective. There are seven billion versions of normal on this planet.” Matt Haig – U.K. writer.

“Trauma in a person, decontextualized over time, looks like personality. Trauma in a family, decontextualized over time, looks like family traits. Trauma in a people, decontextualized over time, looks like culture. ... As every therapist will tell you, healing involves discomfort. But so is refusing to heal. And over time, refusing to heal is always more painful.” Resmaa Menakem – U.S. writer, psychotherapist.

“Mental health…is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going.” Noam Shpaner – Israeli born/U.S. psychologist.

“Now, every time I witness a strong person, I want to know: What darkness did you conquer in your story? Mountains don’t rise without earthquakes.” Katherine Mackenett – U.S. writer.

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.”— Anonymous proverb.

“The process of living is the process of reacting to stress.” Stanley J. Sanoff - U.S. cardiologist.

“Many helplines and facilities are available for people who are or who may be experiencing the symptoms of PTSD. However, if you need immediate, emergency help to prevent you from hurting yourself or others, please call 911. Here are some numbers that may be useful: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK or 988. National Domestic Violence/Child Abuse/Sexual Abuse: 1-800-799-SAFE. National Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-800-442-HOPE." From Medical News Today .

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