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How
is PTSD diagnosed?
A
diagnosis of PTSD may be considered if a certain number of
symptoms from each of the three “clusters” have
lasted for one month or more and if they cause severe problems
or distress at home or at work or, in general, affect daily
life.
PTSD
symptoms usually appear within several weeks of the trauma,
but some people don’t experience symptoms until months,
even years, later.
PTSD
can last six months for some people while others may experience
symptoms for much longer. Again, it is important to understand
that people respond differently to trauma. Some people will
have a few problems, and these problems may go away without
treatment. Others will need support and some kind of treatment
before they can move forward with their lives.
Why
is it hard to diagnose?
The
most critical steps in treating PTSD often are the most difficult
— recognizing the problem and getting help. There are
many reasons why this can be hard to do:
|
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People
who have experienced an extreme traumatic event may hope,
or even expect, to be able to “handle it” and
“get over it” on their own. |
| |
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Sometimes
people feel guilty about what happened and may mistakenly
believe they are to blame or deserve the hurt and pain.
Sometimes the experience may be too personal, painful
or embarrassing to discuss. |
| |
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Some
people avoid dealing with anything related to the trauma,
especially as they try to get back to the “normal”
activities of their daily lives. |
| |
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PTSD
can make a person feel isolated or alone, making it difficult
to reach out for help. |
| |
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People
with PTSD don’t always make the connection between
the traumatic event and the emotional emptiness, anger,
anxiety and sometimes physical symptoms they unexpectedly
find themselves feeling months, even years, after the
trauma. |
| |
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Sometimes
people don’t know that help is available or don’t
know where to turn for help. |
If
you or someone you care about has PTSD, you need to know that
help is available. PTSD is treatable.
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The
PTSD Alliance is supported by Beachway Therapy Center, a Florida based addiction treatment center.
