The Therapist Directory

For service personnel who are serving or retired, who are presenting symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress. All therapists offering their services through the PTSDhelp web site provide their professional services at no more than £40.00 for  an  individual treatment session for a minimum of 6 sessions.  Read More....

PTSDhelp a web site dedicated to providing affordable alternative and complementary health care, treatment  and advice for the service men and women of the UK, serving or retired who have already given so much.

It is almost impossible to predict who will develop PTSD and what type of incident will activate the symptoms. Some people develop PTSD very soon after the trauma incident . However It is not unusual, to see the delay of symptoms, sometim.es months or even years after the causing event

Definition of Post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder: A common anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Family members of victims also can develop the disorder. PTSD can occur in people of any age, including children and adolescents. More than twice as many women as men experience PTSD following exposure to trauma. Depression alcohol or other substance abuse, or other anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with PTSD The diagnosis of PTSD requires that one or more symptoms from each of the following categories be present for at least a month and that symptom or symptoms must seriously interfere with leading a normal life:Reliving the event through upsetting thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks, or having very strong mental and physical reactions if something reminds the person of the event.Avoiding activities, thoughts, feelings or conversations that remind the person of the event; feeling numb to one's surroundings; or being unable to remember details of the event. Having a loss of interest in important activities, feeling all alone, being unable to have normal emotions or feeling that there is nothing to look forward to in the future may also be experienced.

Feeling that one can never relax and must be on guard all the time to protect oneself, trouble sleeping, feeling irritable, overreacting when startled, angry outbursts or trouble concentrating. There are three main kinds of symptoms that clinicians look for when diagnosing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These include re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms and symptoms of increased arousal.

Re-experiencing symptoms include ways in which the person persistently re-experiences the traumatic event. These symptoms may include the following:

Intrusive memories of the traumatic event

Recurrent, distressing dreams about the traumatic event

Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event is reoccurring

Mental and physical discomfort when reminded of the traumatic event (e.g., on the anniversary of the traumatic event)

Avoidance symptoms are ways in which the person tries to avoid anything associated with the traumatic event. These symptoms may also include a “numbing” effect, where the person’s general response to people and events is deadened. Avoidance symptoms include the following:

Avoiding thoughts or feelings, people or situations (anything that could stir up memories) associated with the traumatic event

Not being able to recall an important aspect of the traumatic event

Reduced interest or participation in significant activities

Feeling disconnected from others

Showing a limited range of emotion

Having a sense of a shortened future (e.g., not expecting to have a normal life span, marriage or career)

Symptoms of increased arousal may be similar to symptoms of anxiety or panic attacks. Increased arousal symptoms include the following:

Difficulty concentrating, Exaggerated watchfulness and wariness, Irritability or outbursts of anger, Difficulty falling or staying asleep, Being easily startled.

Difficulty in Diagnosing PTSD

Identifying people with PTSD can be difficult and this disorder is often unrecognised. PTSD is unique among psychiatric disorders in that it is identified not only by symptoms, but also by the precursor of the illness (the traumatic event). Since talking about trauma may evoke painful emotions, people often refrain from discussing past traumatic events. Click here for a self diagnosis form

What is the DSM?

“Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States and the united Kingdom it contains a listing of diagnostic criteria for every psychiatric disorder recognized by the U.S. healthcare system. And the NHS The current edition, DSM-IV-TR, is used by professionals in a wide array of contexts, including psychiatrists and other physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses, occupational and rehabilitation therapists, and counselors, as well as by clinicians and researchers of many different orientations (e.g., biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, family/systems). It is used in both clinical settings (inpatient, outpatient, partial hospital, consultation-liaison, clinic, private practice, and primary care) as well as with community populations. In addition to supplying detailed descriptions of diagnostic criteria, DSM is also a necessary tool for collecting and communicating accurate public health statistics about the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders.”

Post traumatic Stress Disorder DSM-IV Diagnosis & Criteria

Click here printable DSM-IV document as currently available regarding PTSD.