![]() The impact of daily exposure to life stresses, to anger, or to anxiety on high blood pressure has been studied for decades, but these works showed inconsistent results and, as such, mostly failed to confirm the underlying hypotheses. Hypertension has long been suspected of being, in some patients, a psychosomatic disorder. Customer Service and Ordering Information.Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology. ![]() ![]() Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA).Circ: Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes.Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB).Just like turning down a volume knob, constantly high levels of anxiety or irritability can be lowered, and the power of memories and reminders of trauma can be reduced. PTSD symptoms may not completely go away, but they can be reduced. You can find therapist referrals at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. A loved one with PTSD may be reluctant to seek treatment, and gentle encouragement can be helpful. These are specialty treatments and not all mental health clinicians are trained in them. PTSD is best treated through cognitive behavioral therapies, particularly exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy. The good news is that we live in a time when effective PTSD treatment exists. The good news? There are effective treatments for PTSD You may need to take more of a lead in the relationship than you used to or expected to, such as in managing finances, making plans, and getting things done. Just as other medical disabilities can limit the activities of people who have them, you may need to adjust your expectations about your loved one’s engagement in “regular” family things like going on outings, to restaurants, to parties, to your kids’ games. Couples therapy can be tremendously helpful when one member of the couple has PTSD.Įxpectations need to be realistic. You want to offer gentle support, but not tolerate things that are out of bounds for you in any other relationship, such as abusive language or actions, or heavy substance abuse. When you’re healthier, you’ll be better able to help your family member to be healthier. Eat right, get exercise, take time off from caregiving, see friends. Figure out what you need to have a happy and healthy life and make an effort to keep those things in your life. It’s a balance: you want to help your loved one but you can’t do that if you’re impaired yourself. Watchwords for caregivers are self-care, limits, and realistic expectations. Caregivers can feel lonely and abandoned, and divorce is common in relationships where a partner has PTSD. The family member with PTSD may not be comfortable going out in public or being touched. The fun is gone, and in romantic relationships so is the intimacy. They feel that their loved one doesn’t love them anymore (and indeed it’s difficult for some people with PTSD to feel and express love). It can be hard for caregivers not to take it personally. Conflict with family members and coworkers is common. People with severe PTSD may isolate themselves, lashing out and showing little affection toward people they care about, and who care for them. The ability to feel positive emotions like love and happiness is diminished, and people with PTSD may drink or use drugs to avoid painful feelings and memories. Little, everyday sounds may make the person jump. ![]() People with PTSD may become snappy and even physically aggressive. Adrenaline levels stay elevated, causing anxiety, irritability, and hypervigilance (being on guard even in safe places). Whether caused by experiences during military service, abuse as a child, being the victim of assault as an adult, or as a side effect of jobs that deal with trauma, the effects can be lifelong. PTSD can also be caused by witnessing these kinds of things, by them happening to a close friend or relative, or by learning about them in the course of one’s work, such as being a first responder or a social worker helping victims of abuse. PTSD can develop when people experience massively stressful events that involve childhood physical or sexual abuse, being sexually assaulted, or narrowly escaping getting killed or severely injured, whether from accidents or violence or military combat. At the same time, caring for a person with PTSD can be an act of love and courage. Are you taking care of someone who seems to be against you? This can be the experience of taking care of a family member with post-traumatic stress disorder - PTSD - and it can take a huge toll on everyone involved.
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