On Post- traumatic stress disorder; who can suffer from it? Kenya as an entire nation just emerged from a very dehumanizing event; this follows the long week of unfolding events at the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi. The scenes encountered and the rapid response from security personnel left the vicinity bloodied with gun shots echoing the air. The focus has primarily been on the physical injuries and wounds, yet the injuries whose effect may linger the longest are often invisible to the eye. They are psychological in nature. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that is caused by stressful event such as physical harm for instance; terrorist attacks, war, physical assault, rape, torture, kidnapping, child abuse, car accidents, plane crashes, bombings, natural disasters such as famine, earthquakes, and life threatening medical diagnosis just to name but a few. Risk factors for developing PTSD include; - Being female - Having an underlying medical condition such as depression or anxiety - Having close relatives with mental condition such as depression or anxiety. - Being abused or neglected as a child. - Having experienced significant trauma earlier in life. - Lack of social support structures and networks. However, treatment of PTSD can be either psychotherapy or medical or both. Counseling needs to be done buy a qualified provider. A key method of preventing PTSD is through getting early treatment for an acute stress disorder. It is important for anyone who has gone through a traumatic event to seek counseling as soon as possible to avoid development of PTSD. Children too need support and should not be left aside and be forgotten in such cases. (DN Wednesday October 2, 2013 Health, Living 3)
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 05:45:53 +0000
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