Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder in which an overwhelming traumatic event is re experienced, causing intense fear, helplessness, horror, and avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma. In other words, PTSD is a debilitating condition that follows a terrifying event. The main symptoms of PTSD are Flashbacks (also called re-experiencing symptoms), Emotional detachment, Jumpiness (also called hyperarousal symptoms), Substance abuse, Depression and Suicide Thoughts. PTSD can have severe and long lasting effects on people’s lives. Examples of outcomes of PTSD include Physiological outcomes (Neurobiological changes, Psycho physiological Changes), Psychological outcomes as well as Social outcomes. PTSD is also reported in children. Treatment for PTSD consists of three types of therapies namely Pharmacotherapy, Psychotherapy and Behavioral Therapy. Pharmacotherapy with several drugs is widely used in the Treatment of PTSD. Among different antidepressant drugs, the drugs which are effective in the treatment of PTSD include Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and MAO Inhibitors.