Even ancient Greeks knew about post-traumatic stress disorder

It’s odd to think the term post-traumatic stress disorder has only been around for less than 40 years.

The name is relatively new but the condition itself goes back much longer.

Greek doctor Hippocrates – he of the famous oath – identified soldiers who had recurring and frightening dreams about battle.

PTSD is when someone experiences frequent distressing memories associated with a traumatic incident. Typically it’s associated with soldiers – and sadly modern squaddies appear just as vulnerable as Greek hoplites to PTSD.

But other groups are vulnerable too.

One in five firefighters are thought to have experienced PTSD – which is worth bearing in mind this week as we approach the anniversary of the horrific Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Asylum seekers and refugees who flee wars and oppressive regimes before sometimes being subjected to rather inhumane treatment as they seek shelter have also been found to be particularly vulnerable.

Rape and serious assault survivors are also at risk – in fact, any traumatic event can lead to the condition. Typically, those with this condition have troubling flashbacks or dreams associated with the memory.

As a result they may avoid thoughts, people, conversations and activities related to it. Someone in a bad car crash may feel unable to drive again, for instance.

There’s a bit of an overlap with depression. Those with PTSD may feel numb and pessimistic.

Those affected might experience what we call increased arousal, where they’re quick to anger, easily startled, over alert, and have difficulty dropping off to sleep.

Having these symptoms in the wake of a traumatic event is entirely normal, but for some they don’t fade.

There’s no way to completely erase these memories, but there are ways to help us deal with them.

Aside from antidepressants, talking treatments like cognitive behavioural therapy helps us make sense of our thoughts and identify and challenge the harmful ones.

Something called eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing seems to yield good results too – it involves talking about the incident in question while focusing on a therapist’s moving finger.

It may sound odd but it can help.