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Recovery From PTSD
K. Waheed of Virginia was 25 years old when she was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, an anxiety disorder that affects 7.7 million U.S. adults, more of whom are women.
Known more commonly as PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder has made news headlines recently as U.S. troops return from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan. The number of PTSD cases diagnosed in members of the military spiked 50 percent from 2006 to 2007.
But PTSD can affect anyone who has experienced trauma. K’s diagnosis came years after a series of events scarred her childhood, including physical, sexual, emotional, and spiritual abuse and neglect that began when she was just 2 years old. Read on for her story and another woman’s tale of recovery.
Symptoms of PTSD
Posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a serious medical condition that can occur in those who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic or life-threatening event such as a serious accident, violent assault, child abuse, war, or natural disaster.
Not all people who experience a traumatic event develop PTSD, however. To be diagnosed with the disorder, a person must have at least three of the following main symptoms for at least one month:
- repeated re-experiencing of the trauma through recollections, nightmares, and flashbacks that are often triggered by ordinary events;
- emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma;
- and difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated and angered.
These symptoms may not appear until several months or even years after the event, but when they do appear, people with PTSD may feel detached from others, emotionally numb, and have difficulty working, relaxing, or concentrating.
K started having flashbacks when she was 25 years old. The “persistent, terrifying” images and memories didn’t always make sense, but afraid that they would harm or even kill her, she checked herself into a psychiatric hospital. That’s where she was diagnosed with PTSD.
Children can also be diagnosed with PTSD. According to a survey by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 39 percent of children ages 12 to 17 reported witnessing violence, 17 percent reported physical assault, and 8 percent reported a lifetime prevalence of sexual assault.
Forms of Treatment
K has learned that PTSD can be effectively treated. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and medication are two common treatments of the disorder. In cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, patients learn to modify and gain control over unwanted or intrusive behavior and thoughts as well as differentiate between realistic and unrealistic thoughts.
Mindfulness can also be effective in treating PTSD. Increasingly popular among therapists, mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist technique that uses meditation to help people become aware of emotions and thoughts and then learn to tolerate them.
There is no one right treatment. People with PTSD should talk to their doctor about the best option for them. A combination of treatments may also be recommended.
K started therapy for her depression a few years before her PTSD diagnosis, but progress was hampered by her drinking. “I abused alcohol to escape reality,” she says. About 20 percent of people with an anxiety or mood disorder abuse alcohol or drugs. K joined Alcoholics Anonymous and has been sober for 18 years. Her therapy evolved after her PTSD diagnosis, and understanding and managing her PTSD became the focus.
The Military Connection
PTSD is coming to the forefront as more soldiers finish their tours overseas. A recent study by the RAND Corporation found that one in five military members who have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan report symptoms of PTSD or major depression, but that just over half have sought treatment. Symptoms appear to be increasing for members who serve more than one tour.
Since October 2001, about 1.6 million U.S. troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Approximately 40,000 have been officially diagnosed with PTSD since 2003, according to the Department of Defense, and more are being treated for PTSD in Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
Many more are likely experiencing symptoms of PTSD. “One does not leave war when you leave the battlefield,” says Richard K. Harding, MD, president of the American Psychiatric Foundation.
That includes women, who represent 15% of the current troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and who are increasingly becoming a more critical part of combat operations, according to Amy Street, PhD, of the National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System. Although women are more likely to develop PTSD, women and men returning from combat are experiencing symptoms of PTSD and other mental health disorders at about the same rate, she says.
“The strategies the veteran uses to cope with these symptoms is also important as some coping strategies can help symptoms resolve, while other coping strategies may make symptoms worse,” Dr. Street says. “I encourage veterans to reach out to family or friends to talk about their difficulties and ask for support. In the long run, it is not helpful to ‘bottle up’ their feelings or use alcohol or drugs to bury them.”
Despite efforts by the military to educate troops about mental health – 900,000 were taught about PTSD and traumatic brain injury in 2007 – about half of military members and their spouses say they are somewhat or not at all knowledgeable about the symptoms of mental health concerns like PTSD, according to an American Psychiatric Association survey.
Healing Continues
About 50-60 percent of Americans will be exposed to a traumatic event in their lifetime, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
Donna B. of Wisconsin has experienced several traumatic events, starting with a violent rape and knife assault by two men when she was 16. A few years later, shortly after she married, her husband started beating her when she became pregnant. They divorced when her son was a year old.
She later remarried, a decision she quickly regretted. “There were almost daily assaults – verbal, emotional, and violently physical,” Donna says. She got a restraining order against her second husband, and she started seeing a therapist for her PTSD, which was diagnosed around the time she remarried, as well as generalized anxiety disorder and issues relating to domestic abuse.
Now 48 and divorced from her second husband, who is serving time in jail for domestic abuse, Donna frequently volunteers at a local domestic abuse organization, where she helps other women and men who have had similar experiences.
She credits cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions with a psychiatrist and writing victim-impact statements, in which she described for the court the various traumatic events she suffered, for starting the healing process. She also takes medication.
“My PTSD is triggered a lot by [my ex-husband], yet I’m trying to take ownership and control it instead of the PTSD controlling me,” she says.
Donna’s psychiatrist told her recently that she was a success story, although she’s not always sure. “I feel it’s a fight for my life,” she says, “but I want to bring others onto the breadcrumb path to recovery.”
K, too, works hard at controlling her PTSD. The married mother of two continues to see a therapist and also shares her story with other women and young girls with PTSD. “I am committed not to make the events of my life just a story I tell. I do not ever want to become desensitized to it,” she says. “I take it one day at a time, try not to take myself too seriously, and I honor the person I am and the wounded child inside.
“Today, I know I am safe. That is the best feeling in the world!”
To start your recovery, contact a therapist in your community who treats PTSD and other anxiety disorders, or learn how to help a spouse with PTSD. Find more resources below.
Want to know more about PTSD? Get more information about this anxiety disorder from the National Institute of Mental Health, Mental Health America, and the Mayo Clinic. Purchase a book about PTSD from the ADAA Online Bookstore.
PTSD resources for U.S. military
- National Center for PTSD – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs center for military veterans and their families
- Women Veterans Health – health information and programs for women veterans from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Give an Hour – nonprofit that provides free mental health services to U.S. military and their families
- The Soldiers Project – nonprofit that provides free counseling services to military members and their families in the Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and New York City areas
- Military OneSource – resource for military members and their families, including a hotline and information about military life, from the U.S. Department of Defense
More PTSD resources
PTSD in the news
For professionals
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