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Show PTSD can be prevented Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, can be avoided if patients and their support system are told what to expect during recovery. Barry M. Richards, president ul the National Institute for the Prevention of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and author of Thriving After Surviving, said "No injury survivor should leave emergency or acute care without being informed that posttraumatic post-traumatic stress is a normal part of complete recovery. It doesn't have to become a mental ill-ness if it is responded to early enough.' In his book, Richards lists the three stages of emotional recovery from a traumatic injury. Stage One: Survival questions such as: Will I be accepted; will I be stared at or talked about; and how long will my worry and grief go on? Richards said these feeling are normal, but difficult for caregivers to deal with if they do not understand. Stage Two includes four sub-stages that are important for the recoveree and his caregivers to understand: Grieving - Grieving is a normal response to injury-imposed injury-imposed limitations. Recoverees actually feel grief similar to the grief felt at the death of a loved one. Selective Hearing -Recoverees hide from reality by listening only to those things which bring them the most comfort and reassurance. This similar situations, or seasonal similarities. Yet there is an even stronger recollection that can occur 11 to 13 months after the accident, and annually thereafter. During the Anniversary Reaction, recoverees lapse into painful recollections of the traumatic experience and subsequent losses. Stage Three: Recovery In the case of disabling or disfiguring injury, recovery occurs when the affected person resumes a meaningful and rewarding lifestyle. They focus on their own unique talents, intelligence, and strengthen old ones. Depending upon their ability to successfully deal with the first two phases, complete recovery can happen Honeymoon This stage lasts four to 12 weeks and is a welcome period during which recoverees gain strength for the coming adjustment period. During this time recoverees have a strong determination to regain what was lost. The survival honeymoon is a period of hopeful, but unclear, expectations for the future. The only reality recoverees have during this time is that they are alive. They have not yet grasped the impact of their potential limitations. Stage Two: Adjustment Shock This period may last for a few weeks or, without appropriate help, manv vears. i One by one, my petals were falling, I gave up hope. My color was fading, then I met you, Now I am a beautiful rose. I can see deep within your heart, I know you can see inside of mine. You took the time to search my soul, I found a love in you that lasts forever. You're forever in my heart. by Tyra Vance witnin weeKs, montns or years, or, in some unfortunate cases, not at all. Richards said the key to recovery is understanding. "When someone is seriously injured, their emotional battles can be more painful than their physical injuries. Then all the heroic life-saving skills and technological marvels employed by the medical profession lose their value." Richards has been invited to participate in the governor's council on victim's rights. "We want to teach employees about PTSD so they may know in advance During this second phase, recoverees begin feeling unsure of themselves. They experience less and less attention from family, friends and others. They begin to feel extremely guilty and blame themselves for not trying hard enough to recover. They have feeling of worthlessness, abandonment, self-destructive feelings and hopelessness about the future. They ask themselves often makes it difficult to communicate the realities of their circumstances. Disequilibrium - The body and mind are out of sync. Consequently, recoverees often experience fatigue, frustration and despair that recovery is taking so long. Anniversary Reaction - Vivid memories of the accident mav be triggered at any time by a number of things, including J" " L huw iu utai wun an injury, whether it be theirs or a co-worker's," he said. Richards said his company will provide a courtesy two-hour PTSD Intervention-Orientation seminar for any business or corporate organization that makes a substantial contribution to the Tyra Vance Trust Fund, (see related story.) Interested parties may contact Richards at 273-3943. |
