PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is one of the most common disorders that ails millions of people annually. We have PTSD because of world events, wars, recessions, and political unrest. Not just personal traumas, but PTSD can occur due to your place in society and inherent biases rampant in our civilization, like racism, sexism, harassment, etc. Notably, it can affect large groups of people and leave them heartbroken.
Once called Shell-shock, PTSD does not just affect soldiers returning after war or victims of sexual violence. It also affects people with different traumas, and since everyone deals with their traumas differently, the trauma’s effects may differ.
However, tragically, we have found a link between PTSD and heart disease. The psychological effects of PTSD are so severe that they impact our hearts and can lead to heart failure. Since patients with PTSD are so misunderstood and ostracized in our society, the impact on people’s hearts can cause Cardiac Arrests or Strokes.
While more research is needed, the authors say PTSD may disrupt physiological stress systems such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system, leading to various unhealthy behaviors that may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Behaviors like smoking and lack of physical activity can compound the victims, increasing their chances of being affected. And lack of awareness makes sure that it is too late to change lifestyles, get therapy and become physically better. That’s why blogs like these are necessary to educate people about their stresses and PTSD. No matter what your shame and pain may be, everyone requires help and should get adequately diagnosed to get the right treatment. Exercise and proper nutrition can also help us arm against the psychological effects that can manifest physically.
Even though there is no cure for PTSD, regular therapy and support from loved ones can take a victim a long way and even triumph over the episodes that hold them hostage in their minds. Together, we can conquer trauma, and together we can eliminate PTSD.
