People are diagnosed with several different mental health issues on a daily basis. Apart from those, however, there are many issues and disorders that go undiagnosed due to the lack of awareness surrounding them, or the taboo associated with them. One such disorder is PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
PTSD is caused as an aftereffect of significant trauma, violence, exposure to a life-threatening event or even a natural calamity. Often diagnosed in servicemen from warzones who encountered violence on a daily basis. It is also triggered in people who have suffered major injuries in accidents, domestic violence-related trauma, child abuse, and assault survivors.
People suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are prone to disturbing thoughts, feelings, and often visualize vivid dreams related to trauma. In some cases, an inability to cope with the symptoms and the aftermath of trauma can result in self-harm or suicide. If the symptoms are diagnosed early, with professional help, it is possible to treat patients with PTSD. A popular method is through counseling and medication, although counseling plays a more significant role in recovery. It is difficult to diagnose patients with PTSD since the symptoms in many cases are not similar, and might not even show. This is why only marginal people experiencing the disorder are able to seek proper help.
In an effort to increase awareness about the mental disorder, PTSD Awareness Day is observed all over the world on 27 June every year. The aim of the day is to shed light on mental health issues – which don’t show easily like physical, but are still present and take a significant toll on a person’s health and well-being. Through different awareness programs and workshops carried out on this day, individuals aim to cut the stigma and taboo surrounding PTSD in society, and to make counseling and other remedial services accessible to patients from all strata of society.
For many trauma survivors, asking for help in order to recover is one of the biggest challenges. Therefore, this PTSD Awareness Day, take it upon yourselves to effectively communicate with people around you. Help those in need of emotional and mental support. Remember, a simple ‘How are you?’ can go a long way in fixing someone’s life.
