Dr. Shikha Sawhney Kapoor

A particularly stressful situation or event that has created terror or been overly dramatic or dangerous can lead to stress and anxiety long after the individual has physically come out of the situation. This kind of a traumatic condition is usually what characterises Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD).

In simple words, PTSD is a neurological disorder which affects individuals after experiencing severe traumatic situations.

Symptoms of PSTD:

1. Mood symptoms: mood swings are the most common outcome of these symptoms. The patient may experience a complete lack of enthusiasm and drive to indulge in activities like hobbies and socialising. Also, the patient may end up harbouring feelings of negativity towards family, friends and strangers, besides going through phases of guilt and self blame for the occurrence of the traumatic event.
2. Re-experiencing symptoms: these symptoms include flashbacks and life like re-imagination in the form of dreams and nightmares. In many cases, the patient may remember and re-experience the entire scene or series of events that have led to the trauma in the first place. This can be triggered by a memory or association with words, events and other such things that have to do with the memory of the traumatic episode.
3. Arousal symptoms: arousal or reactivity symptoms may trigger the same reactions that the person showed during the traumatic experience. These may include being on edge constantly in anticipation of a reoccurrence, or even getting startled by the slightest thing since the mind is already occupied with thoughts of the event, constantly. Anger and emotional outbursts may also be caused due to these symptoms.
4. Avoidance or rumination: Those suffering from PTSD avoid being reminded of the trauma, such as people, situations or circumstances associated with the event. They try to suppress memories associated with the event.- Many others ruminate excessively and prevent themselves from coming to terms with it.

Duration of PSTD:

PSTD usually lasts up to six months. Yet, there are cases where it lingers on and requires treatment for some particular types of symptoms or behavioural changes.

Treatment for PSTD:

Mindfulness meditation (not a treatment option) helps in recognizing cognitive dissonances and affected thought patterns and aids in recognizing and overcoming their influence. Other therapies, including Cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are also done depending on the patient's condition.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Every individual experiences anxiety in some form at some point of time. One suffers from an anxiety disorder if one experiences dogged, unrealistic worrying about everyday life. One is said to experience panic attack if the abrupt attacks have symptoms like racing heart, nausea, tremors and intense fear. A panic attack is a sudden rush of overwhelming anxiety and fear. The heart pounds and breathing becomes difficult. If ignored and untreated, panic attacks can lead to panic disorder and may cause one to withdraw from normal activities. 

• With a little mindful attention and practice, one can reduce or eliminate the symptoms of a panic attack, manage anxiety, and prevent attacks from occurring in the future and regain control of life. If one is having a panic attack, then the aim is to calm oneself at the moment by breathing deeply. This would reduce the stress and provide oxygen to the brain to help one focus. Hold your breath to start with and reduce the feeling of choking and then begin to breathe slowly. Inhale through nose and exhale through mouth till one notices a difference in muscle relaxation and clarity of thought.
• During a panic attack, your thoughts are often jumbled up. This is due to the fact that one's heart rate has kicked off and breathing is in high gear, muscles are tensed and blood flow is constricted. One should try to focus on one's senses and should distract the mind from fear through different mental diversions. This can be as simple as reciting the lyrics to your favourite song or poem until one has calmed down a bit. It is important that one should make sure not to distract by leaving the situation that has caused the panic. One must ride out the panic attack at the same place else one will likely associate that place or situation with fear triggering future attacks.
• Try to practice progressive muscle relaxation by slowly going through body and tensing and relaxing each muscle group. It relaxes muscles as well as forces one to concentrate on something other than fear. Although, if one want to reduce the anxiety, don't ignore it. One should try stop anxiety producing thoughts and replace them with images of something that brings you happiness or peace. Using guided image of a place where one feel at peace and relaxed, reduce one's experience of anxiety. Further, add details to the scene, so that one is focusing the entire mind on imagining it. 
• Taking care of one's physical health will help take care of mental health. Healthy exercise and diet habits will help you manage manage anxiety. Getting an body active, especially through aerobic exercise, releases chemicals that are responsible for increasing ones feelings of peace and happiness. Stimulants like as caffeine and nicotine worsen existing anxiety and dependence on them can increase feelings of stress and anxiety when one don't get enough of it. Eat a balanced diet with plenty of lean protein, complex carbohydrates like whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid processed and high-sugar foods. 

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!