Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD)

• You re-live a traumatic event over & over again through unwanted thoughts or memories, flashbacks, nightmares or bodily sensations
• You try tirelessly to avoid reminders of the event
• You avoid activities due to fear
• You feel constantly on guard or on edge
• Changes in your mood or thoughts persist, such as irritability, emotional outbursts, feeling detached from others, or a loss of hope

When these symptoms cause you distress or get in the way of your life & last more than one month, we call this Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

International research suggests that up to 80% of people experience some traumatic stress reaction following a life-threatening illness, injury, or painful medical procedure. Of these, 15-30% go-on to experience persistent traumatic stress reactions that affect their health & wellbeing.

Most people will experience a traumatic event in their lives, but not everyone develops PTSD. Anyone can develop PTSD, but the chances are higher when:

• The traumatic event, threat or injury is severe
• The traumatic event lasts a long time
• The traumatic event happened to you or right in front of you
• There is a family or personal history of previous trauma or mental health challenges
• There is a lack of positive social support
• There were other life stressors occurring at the same time
• The person was not prepared or did not have training or coping resources available at the time of the event
• There was a sense of lack of control
• The initial emotional reaction was intense
• The level of pain experienced was severe
• The traumatic event involved scary sights, sounds or smells
• The person was separated from their support network
• The environment after the traumatic event was unsafe or unsupportive
• One study found that among people with congenital heart disease, PTSD was more common among people with depression or those who last had cardiac surgery before 1990. We think this may be due to improvements in medical care & pain management.

There are effective ways to heal & recover from trauma, and it is possible to recover & live a full life after trauma.

The next sections go through some of the options that are available.

• Talk to someone you trust
• Use pleasant smells, sights & sounds to ground you to the present moment
• Remind yourself that you have survived the trauma & you are safe now. If you don’t feel safe, ask for help. Make a safety plan & learn skills to help you feel safe
• If possible, allow yourself to process the event in a way that feels safe rather than avoiding it
• Forgive yourself for any actions you took during the trauma. You were doing your best to survive at the time
• Be kind & compassionate towards yourself
• Express yourself creatively through art, writing or music
• Learn diaphragmatic breathing & muscle relaxation skills
• Try yoga, walking in nature, or other ways to reconnect with your body
• Expose yourself to reminders in a slow & gradual way so you can build up your confidence coping
• Spend time with people you like & trust
• Get involved in activities that bring you meaning or joy
• Get fit & healthy, eat well, sleep well, limit alcohol & drug use
• Learn more about post-traumatic stress & ways to manage. Try: https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/p/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/
• Tell key people, including your medical team, so they can understand you & support you better

• Phone or txt 1737 for support from the National Telehealth Service
  

• There are various effective therapies for trauma. Find a therapist you trust. Ask your GP for a referral.
• Medication can be very useful for some people. Ask your GP or a psychiatrist.