Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychiatric disorder that occurs in people who experience a traumatic event. There is no template for this, any traumatic event could cause PTSD to come about in a person, but some common examples include a natural disaster, a serious accident, war, and rape.
PTSD doesn’t just affect the people involved in a traumatic event: it can affect those witnessing the event as well.
You may hear some people refer to PTSD as “shell shock” or “combat fatigue” when talking about the traumatic events during World War I and II. Many of the PTSD patients in America consist of war veterans.
About 3.5% of US adults have PTSD and about 1 in 11 people will be diagnosed with the disorder. Anyone can develop PTSD, but women are more prone to it.
PTSD Symptoms
People with PTSD exhibit many different symptoms, and the severity can vary. According to psychiatry.org, here are the four categories of symptoms for PTSD:
Intrusion: Intrusive thoughts such as repeated, involuntary memories; distressing dreams; or flashbacks of the traumatic event. Flashbacks may be so vivid that people feel they are re-living the traumatic experience or seeing it before their eyes.
Avoidance: Avoiding reminders of the traumatic event may include avoiding people, places, activities, objects and situations that may trigger distressing memories. People may try to avoid remembering or thinking about the traumatic event. They may resist talking about what happened or how they feel about it.
Alterations in cognition and mood: Inability to remember important aspects of the traumatic event, negative thoughts and feelings leading to ongoing and distorted beliefs about oneself or others (e.g., “I am bad,” “No one can be trusted”); distorted thoughts about the cause or consequences of the event leading to wrongly blaming self or other; ongoing fear, horror, anger, guilt or shame; much less interest in activities previously enjoyed; feeling detached or estranged from others; or being unable to experience positive emotions (a void of happiness or satisfaction).
Alterations in arousal and reactivity: Arousal and reactive symptoms may include being irritable and having angry outbursts; behaving recklessly or in a self-destructive way; being overly watchful of one's surroundings in a suspecting way; being easily startled; or having problems concentrating or sleeping.
Many people who have been through a traumatic event will show symptoms like these in the days following the event. This is perfectly normal. However, if a person exhibits these symptoms for more than a month, they will be diagnosed with PTSD.
PTSD can affect all aspects of a person’s life if symptoms are on the severe side. Certain things may trigger extreme reactions, making it hard for a person to live their life normally.
How Can Cannabis Help?
Patients with PTSD can benefit from getting an Ohio marijuana card due to the therapeutic effects of cannabis.
A new study reports that cannabinoids may reduce activity in the brain’s amygdala, which is associated with fear and responses to threats. Cannabinoids have also been found to aid in completely removing traumatic memories from the brain.
Further research showed that PTSD patients who used cannabis were 2.5 times more likely to recover from the disorder completely. The group in the study who used marijuana saw huge decreases in the severity and frequency of their symptoms as well.
Are You a PTSD Patient? What Are You Waiting For?!
If you have been diagnosed with PTSD, there is a great chance that medical marijuana could benefit you and help you get back to living a normal life.
Better yet, schedule an appointment with one of our physicians today to see if you qualify!
If you don’t qualify, we will refund the total cost of your appointment! What are you waiting for? You have nothing to lose!
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Relief You Can Trust.
Here at Ohio Marijuana Card, our goal is to help everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
If you have any questions, call us at (866) 457-5559, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
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