NAMI Mercer County

Families Meeting the Challenge of Mental Illness

Processing PTSD

By

Angelina Villalva, NAMI Intern

Last Monday, I got into a car accident. I was driving home from my internship at NAMI, when suddenly I found myself sitting in a smoking car, wondering why I decided to get out of bed that day. My car ended up being totaled, and despite my insistence that I was uninjured, my family sent me to the hospital to get checked out. I was very lucky to have no major injury, and to be able to keep going on with my life as usual. 

Occasionally, I find myself thinking back to that moment of the crash. I can see the moment frame by frame– the sound of metal crunching and scraping, the smell of the smoke filling my car, the warm feeling of the airbag as it pressed against my chest. Although brief, that moment still takes up space in my day. I sometimes feel my hands start to sweat and my chest tighten when cars pass me by, and even the thought of driving back home is enough to make me nervous. 

These experiences are clearly a direct result of experiencing a traumatic event, but it is not to be confused with having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Commonly when we think of PTSD, we think of veterans, people who have seen and experienced things that the average person cannot understand. However, PTSD can arise from numerous types of traumatic events, including car accidents.

The next question that arises is then, what separates a traumatic event from PTSD? Why is one response to a car accident not considered PTSD, but another might be? The difference in discerning trauma responses, and therefore a separate disorder, from PTSD lies in longevity. 

Typically individuals experiencing PTSD have symptoms that can last for months or years, and greatly impair their ability to function daily. These symptoms can appear within the first 3 months after a traumatic event, but they may not appear until years later. But if these symptoms last more than 1 month and cause major issues in daily life, it may point towards PTSD. 

Symptoms are usually grouped into 4 types: intrusion, avoidance, changes in cognition and mood, and changes in arousal and reactivity. 

Intrusion: 

  • Involuntary thoughts 
  • Repeated memories
  • Distressing dreams
  • Flashbacks

Avoidance: 

  • Avoiding people, places, activities, objects, and situations that might trigger memories
  • Avoiding remembering or thinking about the traumatic event
  • Avoid resist talking about what happened
  • Avoid talking about how they feel 

Changes in Cognition and Mood: 

  • Low mood
  • Inability to feel happiness
  • Lack of interest in activities they used to enjoy
  • May have trouble with memory 
  • Ongoing fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame
  • Detached or estranged from others

Changes in Arousal and Reactivity: 

  • Having angry outbursts
  • Behaving recklessly 
  • Behaving self-destructive way
  • Being overly watchful of their surroundings
  • Being easily startled
  • Having problems concentrating or sleeping

Not everyone who experiences traumatic events develops PTSD. There are several other disorders that may present similar to PTSD, including acute stress, adjustment disorder, disinhibited social engagement disorder, or reactive attachment disorder. In the U.S., about 4% of U.S. adults and 8% of adolescents are diagnosed with PTSD. While the causes of PTSD may vary in each individuals, those with the following risk factors are more likely to develop the disorder: 

  • Prior history of trauma
  • Childhood adversity
  • Member of a marginalized group
  • Immigrant status

Treatments for PTSD will vary depending on the severity of the symptoms. Occasionally, symptoms of PTSD may subside and lessen over time. For individuals with more severe and persistent symptoms of PTSD, treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medications for comorbid disorders like depression may be used in combination. 

Recovering from any traumatic event, whether it results in PTSD or not, requires strong support. If you, or someone you know, is going through struggles related to trauma, it is important to reach out. Rely on the people around you, and share in your struggles together. If you don’t have someone to rely on, find local resources in the community. No one should be alone in their emotions and thoughts, and know that no struggle is too small or too big, you are worth it. 

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