Wednesday's Woe - "Hair-Trigger Grievers" ~by Tommy Prince

Wednesday's Woe

"Hair-Trigger Grievers"

~by Tommy Prince

Hair-Trigger...

Wiktionary:

"hair-trigger" - a trigger that will set off a firearm when even a small pressure is applied

Free Dictionary:

"hair-trigger" - responding to the slightest provocation or stimulation; a hair-trigger temper; a hair-trigger reaction

Farlex Trivia Dictionary

"hair-trigger" - its underlying meaning is something that may be triggered with the pressure of something as slight as a hair.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

"hair-trigger" - immediately responsive to the slightest stimulus

*****

On Facebook today, Angie had thanked a friend for praying for her recently because she finds herself "seemingly stuck in a swamp of PTSD." A grieving-mother friend read the comment and asked Angie what her symptoms of PTSD are. Today, I will give you real-life examples of one of Angie's PTSD symptoms. (And, I must admit, I have these exact same symptoms too.)

Over the past 5 1/2 years, we often found ourselves in a place in our grief where we did not even have the energy to deal with certain modern-day demands, so many of of them were simply left undone. What we were too depressed and despondent to even deal with in those years, seems now to simply have traded symptoms as we are now trying to "re-enter" life to some degree, attempting now to tackle these potentially-overwhelming situations. Instead of being depressed and despondent, now it seems we are disorganized, agitated, hyper-vigilant, and hyper-startled in a "hair-trigger" kind of attempt at functioning...

Through no fault of our own, we had last-minute tax hurdles thrown our way that over-complicated our already-complicated-tax-situation that had to be completed in just a few days. And not only for us, but also for our two sons, so Angie had to figure the numbers out for all of us on some overly complex tax forms (she had to figure out first) which we had never even known existed until this year. By the time she was done with all of it and had it wrapped up in envelopes for me to rush to the Post Office, I know she must have invented several new expletives for her already teeming vocabulary of choice words. Funny, she never even cussed until she had lived with me for a few years...

Then I get a harassing phone call, well, it was expected, but it sure felt harassing... Repairs have been going on for almost a year now on one of our recreation-type vehicles. The call came from this repairman who proceeds to tell me he has gone way over-budget to complete all the tasks required (along with quite a few he decided-on-his-own to add), with no fair-warning ever made to us over these weeks and months to advise us of the situation before he decided to go full-speed ahead in spending our money. Our bill is now almost double of the estimate, which was an amount we already thought we could barely afford. Well you can imagine, when I got off the phone and delivered this information to Angie, she hit the roof!

And speaking of the roof... Then I get a call from the roof repairman who starts demanding the final payment that our mortgage company was supposed to release to us but wouldn't. The mortgage company's idea of releasing a claims check to our roofer for kindly repairing our hail-damaged roof 8 months ago was to send Angie and me 23 pages of uncomprehendable legal mumbo jumbo full of hoops they want Angie and me to jump through first before they will pay our roofer when we (nor our roofer) have done anything wrong. But to the roof repairman, I did want to say, How were we to know our mortgage company would throw a hissy fit before releasing their final check which by law they have to release???!!!

Even our own income has been tripped up by complications that are way outside our control, but we are having to do twice the "leg-work" to be sure the appropriate persons within the overly complex payor-system get the magnitude of hand-written duplicate documents sent to them so that they can correct their system with our documents before we can get our checks. And this conundrum has been drawn out over the past five months now....

And last but not least, Angie has not even had the courage to open the certified-mail-package she received a few days ago from certain of her family members because her grieving-mother's heart is afraid she will be re-traumatized by their potentially-toxic ways of handling some very sensitive matters...

Ahhh, such is life-in-the-fast-lane for these "hair-trigger, barely-functioning child-loss grievers"...

Picture, thanks to Grieving Mothers

Thursday's Therapy - When Our Stress Takes on a Life of It's Own: PTSD

Thursday's Therapy

When Our Stress Takes on a Life of It's Own: PTSD

A grieving mother recommended this article. I share it with you as I think it reflects much of the latest research Tommy and I have been studying, and attending seminars for. I hope this information can help you if you struggle as we do with the long-term stress from child-loss culminating in PTSD symptoms. ~Blessings to you in your healing process, slow and gradual though it may be...

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), once called shell shock or battle fatigue syndrome, is a serious condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened. PTSD is a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness, or horror, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, an accident, war, or natural disaster. Families of victims can also develop PTSD, as can emergency personnel and rescue workers.

Most people who experience a traumatic event will have reactions that may include shock, anger, nervousness, fear, and even guilt. These reactions are common; and for most people, they go away over time. For a person with PTSD, however, these feelings continue and even increase, becoming so strong that they keep the person from living a normal life. People with PTSD have symptoms for longer than one month and cannot function as well as before the event occurred.

What Are the Symptoms of PTSD?

Symptoms of PTSD most often begin within three months of the event. In some cases, however, they do not begin until years later. The severity and duration of the illness vary. Some people recover within six months, while others suffer much longer.

Symptoms of PTSD often are grouped into three main categories, including:

• Reliving: People with PTSD repeatedly relive the ordeal through thoughts and memories of the trauma. These may include flashbacks, hallucinations, and nightmares. They also may feel great distress when certain things remind them of the trauma, such as the anniversary date of the event.
• Avoiding: The person may avoid people, places, thoughts, or situations that may remind him or her of the trauma. This can lead to feelings of detachment and isolation from family and friends, as well as a loss of interest in activities that the person once enjoyed. {My note: in child-loss grievers, this symptom is sometimes replaced by Longing, a being drawn back to aspects of the trauma because these aspects are associated with your deceased child for whom you long.}
• Increased arousal: These include excessive emotions; problems relating to others, including feeling or showing affection; difficulty falling or staying asleep; irritability; outbursts of anger; difficulty concentrating; and being "jumpy" or easily startled. The person may also suffer physical symptoms, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, and diarrhea.

Young children with PTSD may suffer from delayed development in areas such as toilet training, motor skills, and language.

Who Gets PTSD?

Everyone reacts to traumatic events differently. Each person is unique in his or her ability to manage fear and stress and to cope with the threat posed by a traumatic event or situation. For that reason, not everyone who experiences or witnesses a trauma will develop PTSD. Further, the type of help and support a person receives from friends, family members and professionals following the trauma may influence the development of PTSD or the severity of symptoms.

PTSD was first brought to the attention of the medical community by war veterans, hence the names shell shock and battle fatigue syndrome. However, PTSD can occur in anyone who has experienced a traumatic event. People who have been abused as children or who have been repeatedly exposed to life-threatening situations are at greater risk for developing PTSD. Victims of trauma related to physical and sexual assault face the greatest risk for PTSD.

How Common Is PTSD?

About 3.6% of adult Americans -- about 5.2 million people -- suffer from PTSD during the course of a year, and an estimated 7.8 million Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. PTSD can develop at any age, including childhood. Women are more likely to develop PTSD than are men. This may be due to the fact that women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence, abuse, and rape.

How Is PTSD Diagnosed?

If symptoms of PTSD are present, the doctor will begin an evaluation by performing a complete medical history and physical exam. Although there are no lab tests to specifically diagnose PTSD, the doctor may use various tests to rule out physical illness as the cause of the symptoms.

If no physical illness is found, you may be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist, mental health professionals who are specially trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interview and assessment tools to evaluate a person for an anxiety disorder. The doctor bases his or her diagnosis of PTSD on reported symptoms, including any problems with functioning caused by the symptoms. The doctor then determines if the symptoms and degree of dysfunction indicate PTSD. PTSD is diagnosed if the person has symptoms of PTSD that last for more than one month.

How Is PTSD Treated?

The goal of PTSD treatment is to reduce the emotional and physical symptoms, to improve daily functioning, and to help the person better cope with the event that triggered the disorder. Treatment for PTSD may involve psychotherapy (a type of counseling), medication, or both.

Medication

Doctors use antidepressant medications to treat PTSD -- and to control the feelings of anxiety and its associated symptoms -- including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Paxil, Celexa, Luvox, Prozac, and Zoloft {my note: these particular antidepressant SSRI meds listed have been proven to be the most effective for PTSD according to studies done by Douglas Bremner, M.D., psychiatrist now at Emory Hospital (and University) in Atlanta, Georgia; Bremner was the first Medical Director of the very first Trauma Hospital set up for victims of PTSD in particular; other antidepressant meds like Wellbutrin do not seem to be as effective for PTSD}; and tricyclic antidepressants such as Elavil and Doxepin. Tranquilizers such as Ativan and Klonopin; mood stabilizers such as Depakote and Lamictal; and neuroleptics such as Seroquel and Abilify are sometimes used.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy for PTSD involves helping the person learn skills to manage symptoms and develop ways of coping. Therapy also aims to teach the person and his or her family about the disorder, and help the person work through the fears associated with the traumatic event. A variety of psychotherapy approaches are used to treat people with PTSD, including:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves learning to recognize and change thought patterns that lead to troublesome emotions, feelings, and behavior.
• Exposure therapy, a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that involves having the person re-live the traumatic experience, or exposing the person to objects or situations that cause anxiety. This is done in a well-controlled and safe environment. Exposure therapy helps the person confront the fear and gradually become more comfortable with situations that are frightening and cause anxiety. This has been very successful at treating PTSD.
• Psychodynamic therapy focuses on helping the person examine personal values and the emotional conflicts caused by the traumatic event.
• Family therapy may be useful because the behavior of the person with PTSD can have an affect on other family members.
• Group therapy may be helpful by allowing the person to share thoughts, fears, and feelings with other people who have experienced traumatic events.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a complex form of psychotherapy that was initially designed to alleviate distress associated with traumatic memories but is now also used to treat phobias. {my note: EMDR does not seem to be as effective for the long-term kinds of abuse such as child sexual abuse.}

What Is the Outlook for People With PTSD?

Recovery from PTSD is a gradual and ongoing process. Symptoms of PTSD seldom disappear completely, but treatment can help sufferers learn to cope more effectively. Treatment can lead to fewer and less intense symptoms, as well as a greater ability to cope by managing feelings related to the trauma.

Research is ongoing into the factors that lead to PTSD and into finding new treatments.

Can PTSD Be Prevented?

Some studies suggest that early intervention with people who have suffered a trauma may reduce some of the symptoms of PTSD or prevent it all together.

~Web M.D.

Article: Thanks to Web M.D. and Grieving Mother, Pat Wentworth for sharing:

http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/post-traumatic-stress-disorder