I wonder about something called resilience. Two people go through the same trauma, and one emerges without any medium or long term effects while the other is crushed. Surely people can develop resilience, even deliberately, which would make them less susceptible to experiencing trauma, and in that sense prevent PTSD?
I would say that PTSD cannot actually be prevented but through treatment, the symptoms can become more manageable. It is very hard to completely stop the symptoms that result from a traumatic event because of how much psychological distress it has already caused. Exposure therapy is a kind of treatment that allows the individual with PSTD to reface the memories that are creating the disturbances, in order to learn how to better cope with them more effectively. This is helpful for people who have nightmares and flashbacks that have been causing a great deal of disturbance in their life. Although this approach allows one to re-enter the the setting in which they experienced the trauma through a virtual reality, it may be very challenging at first and may cause them to want to retract from treatment. If I were treating PTSD, I would utilize this approach further along in the treatment process.
I don't think it is possible to prevent PTSD. I guess, we can be aware of it and have action before these kinds of uncontrollable situations. Society can be educated that having stress and difficulties is totally normal after traumatic events.
PTSD is a normal reaction to an insane situation. To try to say we can prevent real feelings after a trauma is to divert from the truth of the situation. Hopefully they are able to process the trauma, manage their symptoms, and come to terms with it and then learn reality that they are safe and to again be okay with not knowing the future and doing a lot of work around imaginary versus real fears and reminding oneself or having coping mechanisms to stay in grounded and in reality. There are many ways to "get grounded" in reality. It's important to have coping mechanisms that include "grounding" techniques especially during flashbacks and to remind that it's "not happening in the now" and that it can't hurt them anymore
Hi Jonathan! This is a really great question. I agree with both Esther and Nina; we can't prevent the pain that comes with being human, nor can we control the things that happen to us. Whether a person develops PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event depends on the event itself as well as the individual's own resilience.
This paper has a great summary of different types of methods that have been used to try to prevent PTSD after trauma. There are both behavioral methods (like CBT therapy) and pharmacological methods (like morphine or benzodiazapines).
Preventing PTSD is hard and maybe even impossible in most situations. But it can be treated or managed and the best way to handle it is to get help from a professional.
PTSD cannot be prevented because we can't control what happens in our lives at all times. That's why it's imperative to have strong coping mechanisms and support systems in case something traumatic happens.
I wonder about something called resilience. Two people go through the same trauma, and one emerges without any medium or long term effects while the other is crushed. Surely people can develop resilience, even deliberately, which would make them less susceptible to experiencing trauma, and in that sense prevent PTSD?
I would say that PTSD cannot actually be prevented but through treatment, the symptoms can become more manageable. It is very hard to completely stop the symptoms that result from a traumatic event because of how much psychological distress it has already caused. Exposure therapy is a kind of treatment that allows the individual with PSTD to reface the memories that are creating the disturbances, in order to learn how to better cope with them more effectively. This is helpful for people who have nightmares and flashbacks that have been causing a great deal of disturbance in their life. Although this approach allows one to re-enter the the setting in which they experienced the trauma through a virtual reality, it may be very challenging at first and may cause them to want to retract from treatment. If I were treating PTSD, I would utilize this approach further along in the treatment process.
I don't think it is possible to prevent PTSD. I guess, we can be aware of it and have action before these kinds of uncontrollable situations. Society can be educated that having stress and difficulties is totally normal after traumatic events.
PTSD is a normal reaction to an insane situation. To try to say we can prevent real feelings after a trauma is to divert from the truth of the situation. Hopefully they are able to process the trauma, manage their symptoms, and come to terms with it and then learn reality that they are safe and to again be okay with not knowing the future and doing a lot of work around imaginary versus real fears and reminding oneself or having coping mechanisms to stay in grounded and in reality. There are many ways to "get grounded" in reality. It's important to have coping mechanisms that include "grounding" techniques especially during flashbacks and to remind that it's "not happening in the now" and that it can't hurt them anymore
Hi Jonathan! This is a really great question. I agree with both Esther and Nina; we can't prevent the pain that comes with being human, nor can we control the things that happen to us. Whether a person develops PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event depends on the event itself as well as the individual's own resilience.
This paper has a great summary of different types of methods that have been used to try to prevent PTSD after trauma. There are both behavioral methods (like CBT therapy) and pharmacological methods (like morphine or benzodiazapines).
Preventing PTSD is hard and maybe even impossible in most situations. But it can be treated or managed and the best way to handle it is to get help from a professional.
PTSD cannot be prevented because we can't control what happens in our lives at all times. That's why it's imperative to have strong coping mechanisms and support systems in case something traumatic happens.