Curing PTSD
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) was a term that I first became familiar with shortly after the Vietnam War. I recall getting a small book that had been written on treatments for the veterans of this war who suffered with this new variant of an anxiety disorder. During WWI and WWII, we had the term "shell shock" and I recall a friend's uncle who had been drafted in WWII, landed in France and was immediately shipped back to the States. He lived the rest of his life within the confines of his home and even had the barber come to his house to cut his hair. Two of his cousins, both brothers, also developed agoraphobia and were home confined.
During my residency, the term took on a broader meaning when it became a diagnosis associated with car accidents, then sexual assault and, most recently, 9/11 and its consequences. Throughout all these years, the feeling has been that there might be a way to help these patients, if only the process could be short-circuited in some way.
It is well-known in medicine that there are medications that cause amnesia after surgery so that the patients have no memory of anything. This may have provided the key to the thinking for work now being done at McGill University in Canada and Harvard University in the US. An AP article (Marilynn Marchione, AP Medical Writer, 1/14/2006) on the work appeared in the World of Psychology blog recently.
The thinking is that traumatic events are particularly strongly embedded in memory by a special hormone or set of hormones that are resistant to normal forgetting processes. If talking about the event doesn't help to obliterate the memory, then perhaps a medication can do the needed work.
So it is that research on memory formation and the eradicating of it has sprouted, especially since the US Government is aware of the $4 billion a year mental health price tag associated with troops returning from the war in Iraq. Work is also being done by Drs. McGaugh and Cahill at the Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at UC Irvine.
One med that has proven especially interesting to the researchers is propranolol, a medication for hypertension that been useful in various types of anxiety disorders, including performance anxiety and now PTSD. One of the interesting thoughts here is that PTSD is actually a disorder that keeps replenishing its place in memory through the symptoms it causes in patients. Each time the symptom recurs, the memory is reinforced chemically and resists memory decay. Blunting the symptoms quickly may do an end-run around this reinforcement and cause the fading that brings relief. Let's hope it does work for many, many people.
Related Topics: Forget Something? We Wish We Could, Researchers Probe Link between PTSD and IQ
Technorati Tags: PTSD, medicalresearch, trauma
During my residency, the term took on a broader meaning when it became a diagnosis associated with car accidents, then sexual assault and, most recently, 9/11 and its consequences. Throughout all these years, the feeling has been that there might be a way to help these patients, if only the process could be short-circuited in some way.
It is well-known in medicine that there are medications that cause amnesia after surgery so that the patients have no memory of anything. This may have provided the key to the thinking for work now being done at McGill University in Canada and Harvard University in the US. An AP article (Marilynn Marchione, AP Medical Writer, 1/14/2006) on the work appeared in the World of Psychology blog recently.
The thinking is that traumatic events are particularly strongly embedded in memory by a special hormone or set of hormones that are resistant to normal forgetting processes. If talking about the event doesn't help to obliterate the memory, then perhaps a medication can do the needed work.
So it is that research on memory formation and the eradicating of it has sprouted, especially since the US Government is aware of the $4 billion a year mental health price tag associated with troops returning from the war in Iraq. Work is also being done by Drs. McGaugh and Cahill at the Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at UC Irvine.
One med that has proven especially interesting to the researchers is propranolol, a medication for hypertension that been useful in various types of anxiety disorders, including performance anxiety and now PTSD. One of the interesting thoughts here is that PTSD is actually a disorder that keeps replenishing its place in memory through the symptoms it causes in patients. Each time the symptom recurs, the memory is reinforced chemically and resists memory decay. Blunting the symptoms quickly may do an end-run around this reinforcement and cause the fading that brings relief. Let's hope it does work for many, many people.
Related Topics: Forget Something? We Wish We Could, Researchers Probe Link between PTSD and IQ
Technorati Tags: PTSD, medicalresearch, trauma
14 Comments:
I just read your recent post about PTSD and find several comments you made interesting. While I am not a vet, I do think that I have some PTSD as a result of several events in my early childhood. One, I was standing at the window with my mother as my older brother got off the bus coming home from school and was struck and killed as we stood watching that. It wasn't until I 40 or so that I realized that his death had occur just 3 weeks prior to my second birthday. The next time I was visiting my mother, I asked about what that birthday was like for me. That's when she told me I had actually witnessed this horrible accident. Then later in my childhood, I was repeatedly molested by one of my grandparents' neighbors.
I have had many years of therapy (over 20) but both of these events seem to come back up from time to time, no matter what for a therapy or alternative practice I try.
I have had friends say "It's time you got over that!" Or, some remarks by one of my sisters who said "There's no way Mother can know for certain you saw him killed." But, I countered her remarks by telling her that I had had flashbacks for a number of years of some type of incident. And a few years ago, I found a copy of a trial transcribe of the pre trial hearing for the man who was the driver of the car which hit my brother. In reading that I knew that Mother had be correct that I had witnessed his death. One of the reason I think this continues to haunt me is the closeness between my brother and I. He was 4 and a half years older than me and I know from the many pictures of us, that we were extremely close. And in many ways, I don't feel as if either of my sisters really had a brother! The one who made the comment about Mother not knowing was only 5 months old when he was killed and my youngest sister was not born for another 5 years.
Now as for the molestation, none of the adults and probably none of the other grandchildren except for one cousin and the sister closest to me even knew about the man's behavior.
Do you have any suggestions on how to one can find a way to leave some of that recurring pain in the past???
Hello - I just came across your comments on PTSD and agorophobia. I experienced a traumatic event at age 22 - I was kidnapped by two escaped convicts, held hostage, was witness to murders, etc. I went back to my career, got two more degrees, thought everything was "normal". I was a CPS Social Worker. Everyone avoided the topic like it was a death in the family. Panic disorder crept up on me, very slowly, until I was housebound. I have since been treated and live a fairly normal life but I would like to make a remark on remembering/forgetting. I think about the kidnapping EVERY SINGLE DAY, even though it was 30 years ago. My roomate and fellow social worker was also kidnapped with me. I saw her blocking it out while it was happening. To this day, she doesn't recall ever being kidnapped. However, she also gained 300 lds, ducts under windows whens she passes one, calls the police when a vehicle sits outside the house too long and denies my existence, never knowing WHY she behaves this way. So which is better - remembering or forgetting?
Many ww2 vets are now at 80 years of age are now coming down with PTSD??
Robert
It is my presumption that, as far as PTSD from WW2, it is already apparent far before age 80. My neighbor, a decorated WW2 vet in his 80's, functions normally except around the 4th. of July when he takes to his bed under sedation. It is not remarked upon-:)
I WAS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER FOR ALMOST 18 YEARS, I SAW THINGS AND DID THINGS THAT HAVE HAUNTED ME, UNTIL JULY 1997. ON THAT DAY MY LIFE CHANGED FOREVER. I RESPONDED TO A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT, TWO VEHICLES HAD COLLIDED HEAD ON, ONE HAD BURST INTO FLAMES.I STARTED PULLING PEOPLE OUT, WITH HELP FROM MY PARTNERS. ONE GIRL HAD DIED ON IMPACT. THE ACCIDENT STARTED RELIVING ITSELF IN MY MIND, I RECEIVED SEVERAL AWARDS AT DIFFERANT CITY FUNCTIONS, AND EACH EVENT I HAD TO RELIVE THAT ACCIDENT. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AFRAID OF FIRE, BUT NOT THAT NIGHT.
WELL I SUFFER FROM THAT EVENT EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE, I WAS FORCED TO RETIRE BECAUSE OF THE PTSD. MEDICATION KEEPS THINGS IN CHECK, BUT I CAN'T GO A DAY WITH OUT THINKING OF THAT ACCIDENT, OR THE HORRORS THAT STILL HAUNT ME. THERE IS NO CURE, JUST TREATMENT AND DRUGS.
BOB
Well, I don't really believe in medication for PTSD. My incident was; when i was 6, the day before Thanksgiving, we were celebrating the holiday cause the next day we were going on a trip. My oldest brother had been having a hard time in life and, drugs and alcohol, life leaving him, ended up killing my dad from outside the house. I was 10 feet away from him and less than a foot away from the bullet as it whizzed by my head. PTSD in this situation i'd say was cause from the combination of: 1, the loud gunshot of a 30/6 deer moose hunting rifle. 2, being in shock from the blood pouring out of my father. 3, all the commotion of everyones frantic screams and everyone telling me to run run run across the street too the neighbors house. the frantic screams i think is what really shorted a circuit in my head and caused my PTSD. too this day i cant live without intense ammounts of stress and anxiety, was also having panic and anxiety attacks 2 years ago starting, for 1 and a half years. had to see a psychologist. same one i had been seeing earlier for the incident. this time she kinda helped me clear my head. learn how to see the problem. and fix it. and i really dont wanna forget what happened.
i want to learn to deal with the situation. not forget it and live freely. i want to remember my father brother, and the other brother that was killed minutes after my father which i didnt mention. and i also have tourette syndrom, minor, from the incident and later developed an anxiety disorder. id like to offer people hope that dont want to take medicatino for this. they tried on me i didnt like it, it didnt work, i didnt give it a chance and never will again. i want to naturally get into my brain, and rewire myself so i dont have to feel this. and i dont want to forget my loved ones either. though saying this might give someone else, maybe some reaserchers hopefully, an idea into what PTSD is. and how it works. also im hoping that there will also be more research into naturally curing PTSD, and better refferences for doctors and psychologists/psychiatrists.
I have PTSD for many reasons; 1.) when I was age of 5 and younger I was abused physically/sexually at an orphanage. After I was adopted i started to have flashbacks but the doctors thought I was just imagining things. 2.) Last year, my boss I've known for 4 years (I work as a security officer at a Mall)committed suicide- crash his vehicle into a concrete wall--after that I kept having dreams I was with him in his car watching him killing himself. This past January my PTSD got worse when it came around the first annivesary of his death, I had to be hospitalize. 3.) two weeks after my boss's death, My mom was in ICU for 3 weeks and I couldn't take time off to be with her. She almost died couple times, she wasn't released from the hospital until end of April. She is still very sick. 4.) Last May 17, as I was working at the Mall, an individual died in my hands as I performed CPR on him. My PTSD for that is starting to creep up as the date is coming near. 5.) While in the hospital In Feb 2007 I lost my job I worked for 3yrs, for no reason, since I was on a leave of absence. I'm afraid to work because of rejections and my PTSD.
I'm on medicines, though it normally helps me, but when I know the date is coming or anything my PTSD gets worse. I'm going to therapy, though sometimes it works some times, it doesn't.
Every time, I seems like my life is getting better something else happens that's makes me spin out of control...
Sorry this is a long comment, I don't know how to blog...
Sara
Bob
First and foremost, you are a normal person with normal feelings and emotion who has been exposed to an abnormal event. I am a firefighter and I am also a PTSD survivor. I know exactly what full blown PTSD is like. In your blog you write, “WILL I SUFFER FROM THAT EVENT EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE.” I too asked the same question after responding to a motor vehicle accident involving the death of a child. Although I was prescribed medication I continued having intrusive images. At the Second World Congress on Stress Trauma and Coping, I heard about a treatment being used for PTSD called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). I have had excellent results with EMDR, and I no longer have nightmares or the daily intrusive thoughts or images, look it up on the web, in addition check out Thought Field Therapy. I will probably be on medication the rest of my life and I wish this were not the case. However, I choose to be on medication rather than to be suffering. I also recommend the following two books Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder The Victim’s Guide to Healing and Recovery by Raymond B. Flannery and Does Stress Damage the Brain by J. Douglas Bremner.
I'm a Vet Nam vet, 38 years later, and I am still having intrusive flashbacks,nightmares and suicidal
tendencies.
This PTSD doesn't go away, it hides itself in little corners of the mind,then pops out when ever it wants, pills or no pills.....I still need help!!!
LARRY JIMINEZ VET NAM 1969
I am 25 and this past year was in a school bus accident with my 6 year old son. He lost 2 fingers and i pulled him from the school bus and it has caused me to suffer from PTSD. I am trying the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing treatment and am hoping it works. I had my first treatment yesterday. The dr. says it only takes about 3 treatmments. That might be something some of you guys may be interested in looking at.
life is good
I AM A NON-COMBAT VET. INFANTRY11B.
I WAS IN UNIFORM, IN FORMATION WHEN THE PLANES HIT THE TOWERS.
I TRAINED UP, TRAINED HARD AND SURRENDERED MYSELF,BUT NEVER LEFT
CON.U.S. I WAS ALSO SYSTEMATICALLY EMOTIONALLY ABUSED IN MY MARRIAGE FOR THE DURATION OF MY SERVICE. I HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH PTSD. I THOUGHT IT WAS FROM THE MARRIAGE, BUT HAVE SINCE BEEN TOLD THAT MANY NON-COMBAT VETS FROM OEF-OIF HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM. PTSD IS INSIDIOUS. FOR YEARS I HAVE WONDERED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME. DEPRESSION,ANXIETY,RECLUSIVE BEHAVIOR, AND VIOLENCE. LET THIS BE A FLAG FOR ALL MY BROTHERS WHO MIGHT SHARE MY PLIGHT. NOW THAT I KNOW I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A BLESSING OR A CURSE.
DOOMSAYER
Iam 32 years old a year ago i got married and strange things began to happen as soon as we got home from our honeymoon,i became ill everyday my hair was falling out and i was loosing alot of weight,after 8 mths of this i woke one morning to find two needle marks on my arm right away i went to the emergency room i had found out my husband had been poisoning me in anything i drank and ate and finally by injecting me.I never when home again i filed charges and for divorce.Now 5mths later i know he does not know where iam but when i go to sleep at night thats when the terrior starts i dont sleep any more im always scared hes watching me.I have talked to my doctor he gave me Prozac and Xanax well not helping how do you ever get free from PTSD?
In May 05 I was on my way home from work in the city and was on the uptown #4 train. I was born and raised in the Bronx, I had my share of situations that I managed to just put it away as part of my life, my story. I had been robbed at gunpoint, taken into an apartment under false pretence's and was stripped naked and had a pillow placed over my head, two shots to each side to reveal where I had more money, but I got out of that. Just put it down as part of an addicts life. I get clean years go by and I begin to feel this rage growing inside of me. So back to coming home from work in May. Eight guys get on the train at 161 st. I glance over ,pay no mind and continue reading the paper. hen two spit balls fly by my face. I look over and four are on each side of the car leaning against the door. They had McDonalds straws and thought spitting them at me was fun. I got up and walked in between them and went to the window looking as Yankee stadium got smaller. I was thinking how I was gonna handle this. That was the first instinct I knew then that my thought patter had changed. I turned and stood between them and shared " you guys are obviously looking for a fight and thats cool. There are eight of you and most likely you will get the best of me, but I promise one of you will be in a head lock and I will bite off your nose, rip open your mouth and leave you disfigured for life, cause your messing with the wrong white boy" the youngest was 17 and he tug on my shirt and apologized and said all was cool. Well, as we came into 171 st. thre walked by me heading into the next car, that made me turn my head. One held the doors from closing with his foot when one of them that got off at the last door came at me from the middle door and wha thought was a punch was a knife that he stabbed me in the gut. The punk holding the door began shooting at me and I was trying to out dodge the bullets but one caught me in the thigh. I was now bleeding all over the place. The other passengers begged me to lay down and wait for the cops. I went to the intercom and told the conductor "not to let this train out of the station" I stepped off and he saw all the blood but the doors shut and the train left. Two of the punks were running toward the stairs and as I started after them the punk who stabbed me was on the downtown side waitng for the next train. I just jumped on the tracks and chased him as I got to the landing there was one of them with a back pack and I used it and him as a bowling bowl. I ended up running four blocks and catching the punk. That is when I knew something was wrong with me. Five months later. Waiting on line at the check cashing joint near the new bronx criminal courhouse where I was working. A kid selling M & M's says something to the guy two people in front of me and the grown man shoots the kid in the chest and falling upon me. I dragged him out while everyone scattered like roaches and tried to comfort the kid when the shooter comes over as if nothing happened and shot him two more times. I just went home. Six months later I am working on a building and we are on the 58th floor, when the Hoist we use to get up and down malfuntioned and after four freefalls before the brakes kicked in, we dropped from the 6th floor to the sub basement. I have had my left arm reconstructed, broke my back and I am only 37 years old. I couldn't understand the feelings I was going through. I was afraid to go out, I didn't want to talk with any friends, I began to shake. The idea of sex was gone. I went to the doctor and he said I was depressed. I still haven't seen a doctor to help me out. Partly cause I don't tell them of the trauma I been through in the last three years. On top of that last January a 22 year old kid knocked on my door and said he was my son. This Doctor tells me " I really don't know how your still here after what you been through. I don't know either but I am convinced deppression is not my only problem, but PTSD sounds so..... soft.
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