Emotionless? Post-traumatic stress disorder!

Emotionslosigkeit may indicate a post-traumatic stress disorder

05/26/2013

According to the Swiss Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (SGPP), post-traumatic stress disorders often initially manifest themselves in rather unremarkable symptoms, such as heightened alarm, autonomic overexcitement or insomnia. „There is also indifference to other people, indifference to the environment, joylessness and avoidance of activities and situations that might evoke memories of the trauma“, reports the SGPP.

The post-traumatic stress disorders arise according to the SGPP „as a delayed or protracted response to a stressful event or situation of shorter or longer duration, with exceptional threat or catastrophic magnitude that would cause profound despair in almost everyone.“ Mental illness, such as a personality disorder, can significantly increase susceptibility to PTSD. As a typical features of the disease according to the SGPP „the repeated experience of the trauma in imposing memories (reverberations, flashbacks), dreams or nightmares.“ Also, anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide are increasingly part of the symptoms.

If there are signs of PTSD consult a specialist
According to the SGPP, the first symptoms of PTSD are few weeks to months after the traumatic event. The probability of developing a PTSD depending on the trauma experienced varies greatly and ranges from ten percent in serious traffic accidents to 50 percent after rape, torture or war experiences. Although in the majority of cases, a cure or improvement can be expected, but there is a not to be underestimated risk of chronicity. Therefore, sufferers should also seek medical help in supposedly unremarkable complaints such as excessive dreadfulness or avoidance behavior.

Psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD
The SGPP recommends psychotherapy as a treatment of first choice, whereby basically the following scientifically justified psychotherapeutic methods are recognized: „psychoanalytically oriented therapy, cognitive behavior therapy and systemic therapy.“ Which psychotherapeutic treatment is used, depends „also from factors such as patient preference or availability“, reports the Swiss Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. The use of psychotropic drugs is generally considered only in particularly severe cases of the disease or in concomitant psychological disorders such as depression. (Fp)