Post Traumatic Stress Dissorder

An Acute Strainreaktions can appear as a result of unusual physical or mental distrubances. Usually does this disturbance take a few hours or days. Serious threats for the safty or for the physical unhurtness of the concerned and of the loved-ones (naturaldisasters, exidents crime) are very often the releasing events. In addition are -unusual, -sudden and -threatening changes of the social situation releasing events (death events, lost of a job etc.).

The risk to develop this disturbance depends on the phisical condition of the organic interferences and of the avalible abillities to manage strain.

The syntoms are very different. Often appeared at the beginning a consciouslimitation, attentive distubances and disorantation. Symptoms like sozial retreat, hyperaktivity,anxiety condition or fearreaktions can also appear later on. Physical signs of extream fear are fast heartbeating, vertigo, sweating and turning red. These Symptoms appear usually within minutes after the straingstuation and they will go after about two or three days, othen within hour away. Itcould happen that a partly or full amnesia will appear for this timeperiod.

These result from a direct or delayed straining event or a situation of unusuall threat (Disasters, Fighting, serious exidents, tortureing, rapeing or othe serious crimes).

Typical characteristic features are a repeading experiance of a straining situation in forceing menories, dreams or nightmares. Aktivities and situations that make the person remember and could bring back the experianced, will be avoided and appear as a blutness and indifference to these situatuons. Hypersensetivy, an extream greater attention, unnormal jumpyness/nervousity and insomnia are often appearing conditions. Fear and depressions also appear with the characteristic features above.

The disorder will occur weeks or month after the straining event. Only at a few concerned persons suffer under the disturbance formany years without any mental or medical help . Its very important to intervene after the first 24 to 72 hours of the traumatic event with debriefings. There should be offerd seperate debriefings for a disater from the coworkergroups and person in charge for the persons hurt from the exident. Its not mandatory to take part.

New research results show that schwersttraumatiesierte persons may have a physical damage in the brain. The part of the Brain that controles our speakabillities might suffer very strong under this condition. As a cooworker you should look for the stare/silent persons from the exident. With a special eyemovement you can break the speakingbarriers is also very interesting.