"I was raped when I was 25 years old. For a long time, I spoke about the rape as though it was something that happened to someone else. I was very aware that it had happened to me, but there was just no feeling."
"Then I started having flashbacks. They kind of came over me like a splash of water. I would be terrified. Suddenly I was reliving the rape. Every instant was startling. I wasn't aware of anything around me, I was in a bubble, just kind of floating. And it was scary. Having a flashback can wring you out."
"The rape happened the week before Thanksgiving, and I can't believe the anxiety and fear I feel every year around the anniversary date. It's as though I've seen a werewolf. I can't relax, can't sleep, don't want to be with anyone. I wonder whether I'll ever be free of this terrible problem."
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.
PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.
People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close), lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent. They avoid situations that remind them of the original incident, and anniversaries of the incident are often very difficult. PTSD symptoms seem to be worse if the event that triggered them was deliberately initiated by another person, as in a mugging or a kidnapping. Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. Flashbacks may consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, and are often triggered by ordinary occurrences, such as a door slamming or a car backfiring on the street. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again.
Not every traumatized person develops full-blown or even minor PTSD. Symptoms usually begin within 3 months of the incident but occasionally emerge years afterward. They must last more than a month to be considered PTSD. The course of the illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, while others have symptoms that last much longer. In some people, the condition becomes chronic.
PTSD affects about 7.7 million American adults,1but it can occur at any age, including childhood.7 Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men,8 and there is some evidence that susceptibility to the disorder may run in families.9 PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or one or more of the other anxiety disorders.4
Certain kinds of medication and certain kinds of psychotherapy usually treat the symptoms of PTSD very effectively.
My therapist listened to the first half of my story and told me, "you're not fucked-up, your situation is".
PTSD is the least of my problems.
The diagnosis is simple.
Dealing with the memories and inappropriately timed flash backs is not.
I hate what was done to me, but there's not a damn thing I can do about any of it, but try to process it all as best as I can.
For myself I can honestly say, had I not been chosen by that social worker on that day, to go with those lunatics chosen for me, none of the bullshit that happened to me would have taken place. I could have been normal, had the right people adopted me.
It's not right to place blame, but in cases like mine, where I was placed among crazy-people, how can blame not be placed? Why didn't any one check-in on me? Why didn't any one ask me if everything was ok? It wasn't.
I hate what was done to me. I hate it even more knowing people got paid money from the deal that became my fucked-up life.
It's not fair.
It makes me angry and sad; and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
I know for myself, nightmares and flashbacks often keep me awake and afraid to sleep. There is no predicting when or how a night-terror will reveal itself, so I believe it's not enough to list PTSD as a single entity or disorder that will go away with talk-therapy. Serious problems develop as a result of stress and trauma. Depending on the victim's perception, PTSD can become a morning-noon-and night affair with demons and despair.
Below is an overwiew of what I know as being the night-time version of PTSD. Others will recognize it as simple Insomnia.
There is nothing simple about the loss of much needed sleep.
Topic Overview
From Healthwise
What is insomnia?
People with insomnia have problems falling asleep or staying asleep. You may wake up during the night or wake up too early the next morning.
Insomnia is a common problem that affects almost everyone at some point. Without enough sleep, you may feel sleepy during the day. This can make you more likely to have an accident and also makes driving dangerous. You may also feel grumpy from lack of sleep. Some people have trouble remembering things, don't get as much done, and don't enjoy being with family and friends.
Having trouble sleeping from time to time is often linked to short-term stress. It can last for days to weeks. It often gets better in less than a month.
Insomnia can also develop into an ongoing sleep problem, especially when you worry about not sleeping well. This is called chronic insomnia. It is often a symptom of another health problem, such as depression or chronic pain. Chronic insomnia is less common than short-term sleep problems. It affects up to 10% to 15% of adults.1
What causes insomnia?
There are many things that can cause sleep problems. Insomnia may be caused by:
Stress. Stress can be caused by fear about a single event, such as giving a speech. Or you may have ongoing stress, such as worry about work.
Depression, anxiety, and other mental or emotional conditions.
Poor sleep habits, such as watching TV in bed or not having a regular bedtime schedule. If you have trouble sleeping, you may worry about being able to fall asleep. This can make the problem worse.
Changes in your sleep habits or surroundings. This includes changes that happen where you sleep, such as noise, light, or sleeping in a different bed. It also includes changes in your sleep pattern, such as having jet lag or working a late shift.
Pain, breathing problems, restless leg syndrome, and many other health problems.
Using certain things known to cause sleep problems. These include stimulants, such as tobacco and caffeine, as well as certain medicines, alcohol, and drugs.
The symptoms of insomnia vary. You may have difficulty falling asleep, so you may toss and turn for what seems like a long time. You may wake up and have trouble falling back to sleep, perhaps several times during the night. You may wake up too early and feel unrefreshed in the morning or tired or irritable during the day.
How is insomnia diagnosed?
Insomnia is not a disease, and no test can diagnose it. But when you can't sleep well, it often has to do with some other cause. Your doctor will probably assess your current health and ask about any health problems you have had and if you are taking any medicine.
Sometimes a doctor will do a physical exam, blood tests, and, in some cases, sleep studies to help find out if you have a health problem that may be causing the insomnia.
Your doctor may also ask about your sleep history-how well you sleep, how long you sleep, bedtime habits, and any unusual behaviors. Your doctor may ask you to keep a sleep diary, which is a record of your sleep patterns, for a week or two. He or she may recommend a counselor if your symptoms point to a mental health problem, such as depression or anxiety.
How is it treated?
Treatment for insomnia focuses on the reason why you don't sleep well. If you have a medical problem, such as chronic pain, or an emotional problem, such as stress, treating that problem may help you sleep better. You may be able to sleep better by making some small changes. It may help to:
Go to bed at the same time each night.
Get up at the same time each day.
Avoid caffeine or alcohol for several hours before bedtime.
Get regular exercise.
Avoid daytime naps.
Some people may need medicine for a while to help them fall asleep. Doctors often prescribe medicine for a short time if other treatment isn't working. But medicine doesn't work as well over time as do lifestyle and behavior changes.3 It can also become habit-forming. Medicine works best as a short-term treatment combined with lifestyle and behavior changes.
Your doctor may also recommend counseling, which can help you learn new habits that may help you sleep better.
Talk to your doctor about your sleep problems and any other health issues you may have. This is important, because lack of sleep can lead to depression, accidents, problems at work, marital and social problems, drinking more alcohol than usual, and poor health. Treatment may help you avoid these problems and feel better.
How common is insomnia?
Insomnia is very common and can affect people at any stage in life. One recent study reported that about 1 out of 5 children has insomnia.4 It is more common in women and older people. Almost half of older adults are affected by sleep problems, and up to 14% use sleeping pills.5
Sleep patterns also change as you get older, and many older adults sleep less than younger adults. If you are an older adult, you may have a harder time falling asleep, and your sleep may not be as deep. Health problems and medicines can also affect how much or how well you sleep. But having trouble getting to sleep or not sleeping well is not normal, no matter what your age. If you are having trouble sleeping, discuss it with your doctor at your next checkup.
Comments
How many adoptees relate to this disorder?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.
PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.
People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close), lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent. They avoid situations that remind them of the original incident, and anniversaries of the incident are often very difficult. PTSD symptoms seem to be worse if the event that triggered them was deliberately initiated by another person, as in a mugging or a kidnapping. Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. Flashbacks may consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, and are often triggered by ordinary occurrences, such as a door slamming or a car backfiring on the street. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again.
Not every traumatized person develops full-blown or even minor PTSD. Symptoms usually begin within 3 months of the incident but occasionally emerge years afterward. They must last more than a month to be considered PTSD. The course of the illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, while others have symptoms that last much longer. In some people, the condition becomes chronic.
PTSD affects about 7.7 million American adults,1but it can occur at any age, including childhood.7 Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men,8 and there is some evidence that susceptibility to the disorder may run in families.9 PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or one or more of the other anxiety disorders.4
Certain kinds of medication and certain kinds of psychotherapy usually treat the symptoms of PTSD very effectively.
among others
My therapist listened to the first half of my story and told me, "you're not fucked-up, your situation is".
PTSD is the least of my problems.
The diagnosis is simple.
Dealing with the memories and inappropriately timed flash backs is not.
I hate what was done to me, but there's not a damn thing I can do about any of it, but try to process it all as best as I can.
For myself I can honestly say, had I not been chosen by that social worker on that day, to go with those lunatics chosen for me, none of the bullshit that happened to me would have taken place. I could have been normal, had the right people adopted me.
It's not right to place blame, but in cases like mine, where I was placed among crazy-people, how can blame not be placed? Why didn't any one check-in on me? Why didn't any one ask me if everything was ok? It wasn't.
I hate what was done to me. I hate it even more knowing people got paid money from the deal that became my fucked-up life.
It's not fair.
It makes me angry and sad; and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
PTSD and sleep
I know for myself, nightmares and flashbacks often keep me awake and afraid to sleep. There is no predicting when or how a night-terror will reveal itself, so I believe it's not enough to list PTSD as a single entity or disorder that will go away with talk-therapy. Serious problems develop as a result of stress and trauma. Depending on the victim's perception, PTSD can become a morning-noon-and night affair with demons and despair.
Below is an overwiew of what I know as being the night-time version of PTSD. Others will recognize it as simple Insomnia.
There is nothing simple about the loss of much needed sleep.
Topic Overview
From Healthwise
What is insomnia?
People with insomnia have problems falling asleep or staying asleep. You may wake up during the night or wake up too early the next morning.
Insomnia is a common problem that affects almost everyone at some point. Without enough sleep, you may feel sleepy during the day. This can make you more likely to have an accident and also makes driving dangerous. You may also feel grumpy from lack of sleep. Some people have trouble remembering things, don't get as much done, and don't enjoy being with family and friends.
Having trouble sleeping from time to time is often linked to short-term stress. It can last for days to weeks. It often gets better in less than a month.
Insomnia can also develop into an ongoing sleep problem, especially when you worry about not sleeping well. This is called chronic insomnia. It is often a symptom of another health problem, such as depression or chronic pain. Chronic insomnia is less common than short-term sleep problems. It affects up to 10% to 15% of adults.1
What causes insomnia?
There are many things that can cause sleep problems. Insomnia may be caused by:
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of insomnia vary. You may have difficulty falling asleep, so you may toss and turn for what seems like a long time. You may wake up and have trouble falling back to sleep, perhaps several times during the night. You may wake up too early and feel unrefreshed in the morning or tired or irritable during the day.
How is insomnia diagnosed?
Insomnia is not a disease, and no test can diagnose it. But when you can't sleep well, it often has to do with some other cause. Your doctor will probably assess your current health and ask about any health problems you have had and if you are taking any medicine.
Sometimes a doctor will do a physical exam, blood tests, and, in some cases, sleep studies to help find out if you have a health problem that may be causing the insomnia.
Your doctor may also ask about your sleep history-how well you sleep, how long you sleep, bedtime habits, and any unusual behaviors. Your doctor may ask you to keep a sleep diary, which is a record of your sleep patterns, for a week or two. He or she may recommend a counselor if your symptoms point to a mental health problem, such as depression or anxiety.
How is it treated?
Treatment for insomnia focuses on the reason why you don't sleep well. If you have a medical problem, such as chronic pain, or an emotional problem, such as stress, treating that problem may help you sleep better. You may be able to sleep better by making some small changes. It may help to:
Some people may need medicine for a while to help them fall asleep. Doctors often prescribe medicine for a short time if other treatment isn't working. But medicine doesn't work as well over time as do lifestyle and behavior changes.3 It can also become habit-forming. Medicine works best as a short-term treatment combined with lifestyle and behavior changes.
Your doctor may also recommend counseling, which can help you learn new habits that may help you sleep better.
Talk to your doctor about your sleep problems and any other health issues you may have. This is important, because lack of sleep can lead to depression, accidents, problems at work, marital and social problems, drinking more alcohol than usual, and poor health. Treatment may help you avoid these problems and feel better.
How common is insomnia?
Insomnia is very common and can affect people at any stage in life. One recent study reported that about 1 out of 5 children has insomnia.4 It is more common in women and older people. Almost half of older adults are affected by sleep problems, and up to 14% use sleeping pills.5
Sleep patterns also change as you get older, and many older adults sleep less than younger adults. If you are an older adult, you may have a harder time falling asleep, and your sleep may not be as deep. Health problems and medicines can also affect how much or how well you sleep. But having trouble getting to sleep or not sleeping well is not normal, no matter what your age. If you are having trouble sleeping, discuss it with your doctor at your next checkup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about insomnia:
Being diagnosed:
Getting treatment:
f
Living with insomnia:
content by:
Merrill Hayden
Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Malin K. Clark, MD, FRCPC - Psychiatry
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