Events that cause intense fear, shock, and feelings of helplessness can lead to the development of severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Belarusians are at risk. What prominent symptoms can warn of PTSD? Can this disorder affect children? And what will help our psyche cope? A journalist from the Healthy People portal discussed the topic with Evgenia Tochitskaya, a psychotherapist at the City Clinical Psychiatric Dispensary in Minsk, a gestalt therapist.
What is PTSD?
As usual, a decoding and explanation is required: what is (PTSD)? Post-traumatic stress disorder is a defensive reaction (painful) that appears as a result of nervous exhaustion due to tragic events experienced (violence, constant fear for oneself or for someone else).
Although PTSD can affect anyone, it does not affect everyone who has experienced violence or witnessed tragic events. There is a risk group that includes people in military professions, minors, and the elderly. In addition, men are mentally more resistant to such manifestations than women.
PTSD is a phenomenon in psychology that has been studied since ancient times. Even in the works of ancient philosophers (Lucretius, Herodotus) there are notes that veterans suffer from increased anxiety, irritability, and irascibility (post-war syndrome). These character traits prevent them from living a peaceful life. Ancient thinkers only explored the symptoms and made observations, describing the condition of the victims. The name for the phenomenon was invented later.
Post-traumatic stress began to be actively studied in the 20th century, when enough material was accumulated. And this is not surprising, because it was in the last century that the planet was in a fever from wars that followed one after another. When scientists were able to establish a process for identifying PTSD, it received an official name. Until that time, the syndrome was called neurosis (post-traumatic).
Based on the research results, psychotherapists concluded that the syndrome does not go away spontaneously; the person suffering from it needs the help of a specialist. In the modern understanding, this is a psychoneurotic illness, stress that arises from negative emotions.
