Understanding PTSD – The journey that seems never ending
It’s the aftermath of an accident, a near death experience, a failed pregnancy, a natural disaster or an illness or death of a loved one. You suddenly feel an out of body experience – retreat into your bed and have intrusive flashes of the visual experience almost like you’re going through it yet again. ?It’s the road after a traumatic incident or experience that grips your Mind and Body and hijacks your functioning.
It is said – “You cannot work on something that you cannot make sense of”. So it is only rational that we first understand what we mean by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – for another fact that remains is that not everyone who experiences Trauma may have a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (6 % of the population, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the bulk of whom are women ) and not everyone who has it, may know that they do and seek help or reach out for the right and relevant resources and we are talking millions of people here.
In a formal sense, PTSD involves a mental health condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which there was serious physical harm or threat. It is essentially a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness, or horror, thus impacting a person’s daily occupational, social and personal functioning.
Everything feels like a risk and your everyday life seems like a firefight drill to put out disasters or fires that really plaque you. The images don’t leave you and Emotional Hijack just feels too intense. And you lose your voice when those flashbacks grip you – beads of sweat on a cold day or rage that feels locked without an outlet and nightmares that leave you dreading sleep.
What helps is early recognition or intervention – reach out to a professional after experiencing a traumatic experience and understand that there will be an urge to avoid since avoidance is the hallmark of PTSD. Understanding how the mind works in the aftermath of a trauma, working through the stigma and reaching out to really understand what you may be going through, getting ready to be in a space of Mindfulness, trusting the role of medication , Cognitive Analytical Therapy along with E.M.D.R Therapy techniques are the pillars to help you move forward on this journey but ultimately it’s about understanding what your’re going through and creating pockets of power, a ladder back into a routine life and essentially believing that life post certain experiences may never be the same but still be worth living as we build newer experiences around it.
Given its occurrence in a small population, it isn't easy to allocate huge amounts to supporting patients suffering from PTSD. Hence, we are in the process of building a chatbot that can support such patients. Chatbots can offer several benefits to people with PTSD: 24/7 Support: PTSD symptoms can arise unexpectedly. Chatbots can provide a safe space to talk and offer emotional support whenever needed, even in the middle of the night. Reduced Stigma: Some people hesitate to seek professional help due to stigma. Chatbots offer anonymous interaction, making it easier to open up about their struggles. Psychoeducation: Chatbots can be programmed to deliver information about PTSD, coping mechanisms, and healthy practices. Self-help Techniques: Chatbots can guide users through exercises like relaxation techniques and journaling prompts, which can help manage symptoms. Identifying Triggers: By talking to the chatbot, users may gain insights into their triggers and how to avoid them. Risk Stratification: Clinicians could be updated of the risks facing each patient that would help in categorising the patients for appropriate therapy. We would appreciate any ideas that might help in building such a chatbot.