True or False
PTSD is very rare.
False! PTSD affects 3.6% of the adult population, about 9 million people.
Veterans are the only people who experience PTSD.
False, anyone can experience trauma and can be diagnosed with PTSD.
What types of events can be considered trauma?
Shocking, scary, dangerous events such as war, witnessing a death, domestic abuse, natural disaster, rape, terrorism, serious injury.
What does healthy breathing look like?
How can PTSD interfere with daily life?
Relationship problems, difficulty concentrating at work and school, daily tasks can be hard to accomplish.
PTSD is more common in men.
False! Women are significantly more likely to experience PTSD.
PTSD affects people immediately after trauma, if time passes the person is no longer at risk for PTSD.
False - PTSD symptoms often arise with the first 3 months after a traumatic event but many times it takes months or years for symptoms to appear.
What is the "fight or flight" response?
Name a coping skill that involves mindfulness.
Meditation, getting into nature, listening to calming music, loving kindness meditation.
How is a person with PTSD's mood affected?
Negative thoughts about self and the world, hopelessness, feeling detached, lack of interest, feeling numb.
Children can be diagnosed with PTSD.
Everyone who experiences severe trauma will develop PTSD.
False - we're not clear on what predicts whether somebody will develop PTSD but certain factors put some people more at risk such as repeated trauma, having low social support, low self-esteem, and having other mental health conditions.
What happens to the body in fight or flight mode?
Increased heart rate, sweating, burst of energy or strength, digestion slows.
How can physical activity help PTSD?
When is it important to seek professional help if you are experiencing PTSD symptoms?
If you have disturbing thoughts and feelings for more than a month, if you feel out of control, if you're having trouble sleeping.
Service animals can be used to treat PTSD.
True! Dogs are especially suited to soothing the symptoms of PTSD.
People with PTSD are violent.
False - having PTSD can be distressing but only a small portion of people with the diagnosis act violently.
What does it mean to be reactive?
Easily startled, feeling tense or "on edge," difficulty sleeping, angry outbursts.
What is exposure therapy?
Working with a professional to exposure yourself slowly to triggers in order to desensitize yourself. This requires safety, strong support system, and a trained professional.
How would you recognize PTSD symptoms in a friend?
A person's mental health medications for mental health disorders other than PTSD may increase PTSD symptoms.
True! Someone with PTSD may have additional mental health disorders and medications for those such as OCD and depression may worsen symptoms of PTSD.
If you have PTSD you will always have it, it cannot be cured.
False - PTSD can be very distressing and hard to treat but there are many treatments that have been successful such as EMDR, CBT, group therapy, prolonged exposure, medication, family therapy.
Re-experiencing a traumatic event as if you were there. Can be triggered by thoughts, feelings, objects, smells, tastes. Different from intrusive thoughts.
Why is social connection important to coping with PTSD?
Provides distraction, group therapy shows you are not alone, helps rebuild the healthy idea of relationships.
How might you recognize PTSD in a child?