Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Disability
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that is triggered by an extremely traumatic event. You can develop PTSD when a traumatic event happens to you. It can also happen when you see a traumatic event happen to someone else. A lot of people who witness traumatic events or are involved in traumatic events have a brief period of difficulty in coping and adjusting. Healthy coping methods and time usually help these traumatic reactions to get better on their own. In some cases, however, your signs and symptoms can get worse or last for months or years. Sometimes these traumatic events may even completely disrupt your life. In these cases, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can affect survivors of such traumatic events as torture, war, an airplane crash, a natural disaster or a physical or sexual assault. Post-traumatic stress disorder can also affect rescue workers at the site of mass casualties or other tragedies. These kinds of events may cause intense helplessness, fear or horror. The disorder has been called by other names, including shell shock, combat fatigue, battle fatigue, combat stress, traumatic war neurosis or post-traumatic stress syndrome. In the American Civil War it was called "soldier's heart." Approximately 7 to 8% of people in the United States will likely develop post-traumatic stress disorder in their lifetime. The lifetime occurrence (prevalence) in combat veterans and rape victims ranges from 10 to as high as 30%. In any given year about 5 million American adults have this syndrome. Your or a loved one may be one of the millions suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. It may have become so severe that you or your loved one is unable to work. PTSD may be the reason for you or your loved one's disability. If this is true, you are probably in need of financial help. You may have applied for that help from the Social Security Administration in the form of Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits. If you or your loved one was denied, what will you do now? If you have decided to reapply or appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, here is something to think about. People with a trustworthy disability lawyer are approved more often than those who do not have an attorney. SocialSecurityHome.com is the right place to find a capable disability lawyer. A wise disability lawyer at SocialSecurityHome.com will help and guide you or your loved one in reapplying or appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. Our dedicated advocates will help you fight for the disability benefits that you or your loved one suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder deserve. How much do you know about post-traumatic stress disorder? The more you know, the better prepared you will be to deal with this disorder. Here is some more information that may be useful and helpful to you. The signs and symptoms of PTSD typically begin within three months after a traumatic event. However, in a small number of cases, the signs and symptoms may not occur until years after the event. Some of the signs and symptoms are:- Poor relationships
- Upsetting dreams about the traumatic event
- Anger or irritability
- Flashbacks or reliving the traumatic event for minutes or even days at a time
- Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event
- Guilt or shame
- Trouble concentrating
- Feeling emotionally numb
- Trouble sleeping
- Seeing or hearing things that are not there
- Hopelessness about the future
- You indulge in self-destructive behavior like drinking too much
- You are easily frightened or startled
- Not enjoying activities you once enjoyed
- Problems with your memory.
- Your life experiences
- Changes in the naturally occurring chemicals in your brain
- Genetics and biology
- Your temperament.
- Living through a flood, fire, earthquake or other natural disaster
- Living through a life-threatening accident
- Seeing someone being badly injured or killed
- Going through combat.
- Drug abuse
- Eating disorders
- Alcohol abuse
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts and actions.