How to Prevent Trauma from Becoming PTSD and What to Do If Your Loved One Has PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious mental health condition triggered by shocking, terrifying, or dangerous events called traumas, causing nightmares, flashbacks, and severe anxiety.

In this article, we will tell you how you can prevent trauma from becoming PTSD and how you can help your loved ones with PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop after a traumatic event, or after a stressful, frightening or life-threatening experience. Read here how you can prevent trauma from becoming PTSD.

How to Prevent Trauma from Becoming PTSD and What to Do If Your Loved One Has PTSD?

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness characterized by failure to recover after witnessing or experiencing a terrifying event.

It is normal after the trauma that a person suffers from fear, anxiety, and sadness, and may have sad memories and difficulty sleeping.

Most people improve their condition with the passage of time, but in the case of PTSD, these feelings and thoughts do not disappear. They may remain attached to the person for months or even years, and they can even get worse.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop after a traumatic event, or after a stressful, frightening or life-threatening experience. 

PTSD is also caused by seeing people hurt or killed or witnessing an event that was involved in serious injury, serious physical assault or sexual violence, or threatened sexual assault.

Post-traumatic stress disorder causes many problems in your daily life, as it affects your personal relationships and your work, and it can also harm your physical health, but receiving proper treatment will allow you to lead a productive and happy life.

Read more: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - Types, Symptoms, Cause, and Complications

How Does PTSD Happen?

During trauma, the body will respond to the threat that results from the so-called fight or flight response to stress.

The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to an acute threat to survival. 

The “flight or fight” mode is marked by physical changes, including nervous and endocrine changes and triggered by a release of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and norepinephrine, in order to supply you with a burst of energy. 

This causes the heart rate to accelerate, and to stop the brain temporarily doing its job with some normal tasks, like filing short-term memories, on pause.

Post-traumatic stress disorder makes the brain get stuck in danger mode. Even after a person is not in danger, it stays on high alert. 
The body continues to send out stress signals, causing PTSD symptoms.

Studies show that the part of the brain responsible for fear and emotion (the amygdala) is more active in people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

When to visit a doctor

If there are disturbing thoughts and feelings coming to you because of a traumatic event for more than a month, or if it is severe, or if you feel that you are having trouble getting your life back under control, talk to your doctor or psychologist. 

Access to treatment as soon as possible can help prevent the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder from getting worse.

Psychological Trauma and Social Support in PTSD

How to prevent trauma from becoming post-traumatic stress disorder

How can You Prevent Trauma from Becoming PTSD?

If you experience stress or other problems because of a traumatic event that affects your life, visit your doctor or mental health professional.

If you are directly involved in a traumatic event or exposed to it, you can take the following steps to prevent your trauma from becoming PTSD, to recover your emotional balance and regain control of your life:

✰Keep civilian and military populations out of harm's way and completely eliminate the emotional trauma associated with violence, crime, rape, or serious accidents.

✰Expose your trauma to loved ones.

✰Identify as a survivor as a victim.

✰Find positive meaning in trauma if you can.

✰Take time to heal yourself and to mourn any loss you have experienced.

✰Schedule your time for activities that bring you joy and use your downtime to relax.

✰Be patient with the pace of recovery and prepare yourself for difficult and volatile emotions.

✰Try to avoid distressing images and video clips.

✰Take a complete break from TV and online news and stop checking social media If they make you feel overwhelmed.

✰Allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling without any guilt or judgment. Having positive beliefs can help you manage and cope with your feelings and emotions.

You can also take these actions with continued treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder:

Follow your treatment plan:  Although it may take some time before you feel the benefits of treatment or medication, treatment can be effective and most patients will be cured. Remind yourself that it takes time. Following a treatment plan and contacting a mental health professional will routinely help you move forward.

Learn about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): This knowledge can help you understand what you feel, and you can then develop coping strategies to help you respond effectively.

Take care of yourself: Get enough rest, follow a healthy diet, exercise and take time to relax. Try to reduce or avoid caffeine or nicotine consumption as they can increase anxiety.

Do not take medicines on your own: The use of alcohol or drugs to numb the sensation is not healthy, although it may be an attractive way to cope with the situation. It can lead to many problems in the future and conflict with effective treatments and prevent real healing.

Smash the routine: If you are concerned, take a walk or practice one of your hobbies to refocus.

Keep in touch. Spend time with people who support and care like family, friends, local leaders, or others. You do not have to talk about what happened if you do not want to. Just sharing time with your loved ones can give you well-being and a comfortable feeling.

Facilitate peer support groups: Ask your mental health professional to find a support group or contact veterans' organizations or social services for your community or search for local support groups in an online directory.

What to do If you have suicidal thoughts

If there are suicidal thoughts coming from you or someone you know, ask for help immediately with one or more of the following resources:

• Talk to a close friend or one of your loved ones.
• Continue with a priest, mentor, or person in your faith community.
• Book an appointment with your doctor or psychologist.

When You Get Emergency Help

If you think you might be hurting yourself or trying to commit suicide, call your local emergency number immediately.

If you know someone who is at risk of committing a suicide attempt or has tried to commit suicide, make sure someone stays with him to keep him safe. 

Call your local emergency number immediately or take this person to the emergency room at your nearest hospital if you can do so safely.

Read more: Diagnosis and Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

How can you help a loved one who has post-traumatic stress disorder?

What to Do If Your Loved One Has PTSD?

The person you love may look like someone other than you knew before the shock; For example, he may be angry and nervous or isolated and depressed at the movement.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can inspire the mental and emotional health of friends and loved ones significantly.

Hearing the person you are interested in talking about the trauma that led to your PTSD may be painful for you and may even cause you to relive difficult events again.

You may find yourself avoiding attempts to talk about the trauma or you may feel hopeless about improving the person you care about.

At the same time, you can feel guilty for not being able to treat the person you care about or speed up the recovery process.

How to help Your loved one with PTSD

Remember that you cannot change someone, but you can do the following:

Tell about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): This can help understand what the person you care about is going through. Let him know that evasion and isolation are part of the turmoil. If the person you care to resist helps you, give it space and let it know when you are ready or willing to accept your help.

Ready to listen: Let the person you care about know your willingness to listen, but you understand what they are not willing to talk about. Try not to force the person you care to talk about the shock to be prepared.

Encourage participation: Make plans for activities with family and friends. Celebrate good events.

Make your health a priority: Take care of healthy eating, take physical activity, and get enough rest. Take time alone or with your friends to do activities that help you renew your energy.

Ask for help if you need it: If you have trouble adjusting, talk to your doctor. He may refer you to a wizard that can help you get rid of your anxiety.

Keep safe: Plan a safe place for yourself and your children if the person you care about becomes violent or abusive.