PTSD: THE EXPERT VIEW

Dr Jennifer Wild is associate professor of clinical psychology at the Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma

What is PTSD?

It’s a severe and debilitating stress disorder. Originally called shell shock and treated as a psychosomatic disorder, it was reclassified as an anxiety disorder in 1980 and, more recently, as a stress disorder. Crucially, it can’t be diagnosed without some form of trauma – an event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence.

What are the main symptoms?

There are four ‘clusters’ of symptoms. The first include intrusive memories, flashbacks and nightmares. These drive the second cluster: avoiding thinking, talking and having feelings about the trauma. The third cluster involves negative alterations in mood and cognition, while the final cluster is comprised of hyperarousal symptoms: concentration problems, irritability, sleep difficulties and extreme alertness.

What role does memory play in PTSD?

PTSD is memory in overdrive; the way the memory has been laid down causes it to be triggered easily. It all comes down to the level of adrenaline at the time. It causes the brain to speed up and process very quickly – a response that makes time feel like it’s passing more slowly, but the brain is actually encoding lots of sensory information like colours, tastes and sounds. These are then interpreted as warning signs so that, in the future, the brain knows how to keep that person safe.

What’s the recommended course of treatment?

Individuals are encouraged to retell the event to help think about it in a different way, either through cognitive behavioural therapy or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy. But there are new research areas, too: VR technology is being used by the military, while revisiting the trauma while taking MDMA in a clinical setting also shows promise.

For more information on how to get help for yourself or a loved one, visit ptsduk.org