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Gift From Within - Questions & Answers with Frank Ochberg on PTSD

	PTSD: How common, who gets PTSD? Does PTSD Affect the Brain? Duration Emotional Abuse Childhood Trauma & Intrusive Images Revisiting the scene of trauma and abuse Pregnancy PTSD Symptoms: Anger Flashbacks Loneliness Feelings of Loss and sense of self Anxiety Numbing Re-traumatization Depression Memory Loss Relationships: Helping friends Explaining PTSD to Children Workplace Issues False Memory Toxic Family of Origin PTSD may complicate relationships Inadequate Therapy Recovery: Triggers Rebuilding Self Esteem Life After Trauma Coping During the Holidays Substance Abuse Improving a damaged self-concept. Veterans & PTSD: PTSD A Disease Seasonal PTSD & Anniversary Reaction. Emotional Injury Professionals: Compassion Fatigue Consequences of Emotional Numbing School Teachers and PTSD Other Conditions: Borderline Personality Disorder Social Phobia Complex PTSD Dissociation
		Questions & Answers with Joyce Boaz & Dr. Frank Ochberg Read "Survivor Psalm" by Frank Ochberg
				PTSD Symptoms: Anger. Q: Dear Dr. Anderson, A support pal with PTSD asked me how to deal with her PTSD symptoms, particularly anger and irritability. She gets angry and then takes it out on the people around her even though they are not the ones who traumatized her in childhood. It is distressing to her because she doesn't want to hurt those dear to her and she doesn't want to lose her friends and the family she does talk to. A: Dear Joyce, It sounds like she is describing a very common reaction of posttraumatic stress disorder. The hyperarousal symptoms, of which irritability is one, include problems with attention and concentration, impatience, hyperactivity, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lethargy, and fatigue. Events that normally would not cause an anger reaction often do bring an angry response in people with PTSD. It's very distressing for the individual and everyone around the person. The behavior is often followed by feelings of guilt and shame because the person has lost control. So, what do you do about it? Dr. Frank Ochberg describes "Posttraumatic Therapy" quite well and I find that it is helpful for people to read his chapter on the subject. Two thoughts come to mind, however, in answering this person: (1) Medication with an SSRI (Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor); and (2) Therapy While some people do not like the thought of using a medication, we have found it very useful. Paxil (one such medication) is one that seems to cause the most weight gain so we do not recommend this one for our clients. However, the others are useful. We recommend the smallest possible dose just to help "take the edge off." I am not a medical doctor so we refer our clients to a psychiatrist who diagnoses and prescribes. Therapy is also important to process the traumatic events and weave them into the fabric of one's life so that they do not continually intrude into the "here and now." It is important for individuals to understand that the hyperarousal symptoms are a byproduct of PTSD; however, it is also important to take responsibility for one's actions and do something about them, to include taking medication. The combination of therapy and medication is a tried and true road to recovery. Good luck. Dr. Beverly J. Anderson, B.C.E.T.S. is a member of Gift From Within's advisory board. Dr. Anderson has twenty years of experience in employee assistance programs, human services administration, psychological evaluations/psychotherapy with law enforcement officers, teaching, critical incident debriefings, trauma consultations and expert witness testimony.
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