Is Ptsd Progressive?

[RussH]

I was reading another thread, and it got me to thinking,, which can be dangerous, is PTSD progressive?

In other words, if you suffer from PTSD and do not seek out therapy, can the symptoms of the disorder become progressive in terms of severity and frequency?

I honesty don't know, but I have been pondering this for some time; what are your thoughts?

 

[SeanCharles]

@RussH I think in some ways with what your asking the symptoms can also affect one through other psychological symptomology also. In my case, what appears to be a neurological symptom is really a psychological one masquerading as a neurological or another example is my thyroid going hyper rather hypo which was unclear to an endocrinologist I saw. I suspect PTSD is at the root of these two symptoms. If I am wrong? then I don't what to say.

--SeanGeo

 

[RussH]

@SeanGeo actually what I am asking is if the flashbacks and other associated symptoms; depression, anxiety, self hatred and a whole host of other symptoms can, or do become increasing worse in strength, duration and frequency with time unless treated.

 

[WillyKat]

Yes I think it can be. PTSD develops in the first place because the trauma isn't integrated into normal memory. In general, it occurs because the trauma isn't dealt with. Over time, the "states" of hypervigilance and so on became more or less permanent traits. Here's a link to an article about that: http://www.sossandra.org/ARCHIVED_EXTERNAL_ARTICLES/Bruce-Perry-How-States-Become-Traits.htm

I think its roughly the same in adulthood. You develop behavior patterns that aren't healthy and over time you get locked in. Soon, you don't know anything else and become too afraid to break the cycles.

 

[Kintsugi]

It's hard for me to answer this because of the nature of my trauma. I would say symptoms can get progressively worse if not treated, but then, treatment can sometimes bring up a lot of stuff and you will seem to get progressively worse. It's sort of a sticky thing to pull apart, I think.

Did my symptoms become worse and worse without treatment? Yes. Did they continue to get worse for several years after beginning therapy? Yes. Have they stopped wildly progressing now, over ten years after beginning therapy? Yes. Does that have to do with lots of other things? Probably.

 

[SeanCharles]

@SeanGeo actually what I am asking is if the flashbacks and other associated symptoms; depression, anxiety, self hatred and a whole host of other symptoms can, or do become increasing worse in strength, duration and frequency with time unless treated.

Sorry for the confusion, Russ. I would say yes, that these do and can become increasingly worse.

--SeanGeo

 

[sun seeker]

I would say that the associated symptoms do get worse if the underlying cause is not treated, because as WillyKat says, we develop behaviour patterns to compensate for our symptoms and these can cause more and more problems in a snowball effect. For example, if we have panic attacks in crowds and don't get help with this, we'll probably cope with the symptoms by staying home and becoming isolated, which will lead to a breakdown in social life and career, which will lead to worsening self esteem, which will lead to depression, which....
Whether the more primary symptoms get worse if not treated, I'm not sure.

 

[Justmehere]

Neurobiologically, a process called kindling can kick in and theoretically make PTSD symptoms worse over time. It's like the brain "learns" to have symptoms, and those neural pathways become stronger and stronger, and other pathways can become weaker. It happens in other mental health and brain conditions as well.

PTSD symptoms can also get worse because of other factors coming into play. Enudring PTSD itself is a stressor and there is a lot of loss involved just from enduring PTSD symptoms. The symptoms are from stress (traumatic stress) but the symptoms also create more stress by just having them and this tends to lead to more of the stress cup being full.... It's a vicious cycle. There is also the tendency for some trauma victims to reenact trauma until they get adequate trauma - ie new trauma's happen.

There is also the fact that some studies show that a lack of support around a traumatic event is the single biggest factor that leads to the development of PTSD after a traumatic event. Many people don't get PTSD after trauma. Most of those people who don't get PTSD had adequate support in their environment at the time of the event or soon after.

However, at the same time, it is also possible for symptoms to come for a time and get better without treatment. Kindling can burn itself out. There is also the neurological effect of what is called behavioral extinction. Somatic experiencing tries to take advantage of some of these principles.

Both possibilities can be mis-used to justify dangerous things. One could blame themselves or the lack of treatment too much if symptoms do get worse, or they could use the second possibility of symptoms getting better on their own to wrongly justify avoiding treatment altogether.

In the end, we can only do the best of what we have. The sooner we get help, the sooner we can get better.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

How can it not?

 

[LotusRoot]

My sense is that symptoms don't necessarily get worse, but that the potential for them to emerge is ~always~ there -- for our whole lives -- and we're better off if we know the signals and have a toolbox to take care of ourselves before they erupt in more destructive ways. For instance, one of the biggest dangers for me is that I'll project ptsd dynamics on my Now-life and people, and that's just heartbreaking, adding another layer of trouble to the root-hurt.
It feels like no matter how well I'm doing, I have to always be aware of this under-dimension, and that it can intrude into normal frustrations, and I need to try to take care of that before I make added trouble on top of the inner struggle.
But also, that if my Now-life is going through it's own upheavals, there's a greater chance that my responses will tip over into ptsd territory -- so, yeah, unless your life is smooth as silk, there's a good chance the symptoms will emerge.

 

[Wounded Scribe]

Great conversation, and input by everyone, I've been considering this same question as well @RussH . I believe, it can get worse. But, if I may phrase what @Russ is asking...can PTSD behave say like COPD. (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)... Normal people, if memory serves me breathe based on how much CO2 is in their blood. But, a life time of COPD changes the bodies response and a COPD-er is stimulated by CO2. A lifetime exposure has progressed that it changes how someone breathes. A COPD-er can stop breathing if administered to much O2. If I don't have that backwards/

Does untreated or a life with PTSD have a Parkinsons, Alzheimer type effect?

I'm sorry I am new to this discussion and I desperately trying to understand Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I can point to certain chapters in my life when the symptoms were on the surface and I was functioning at a low level. I know, the symptoms first appeared in the months after my trauma. I know it's been cyclical and each cycle has been worse than the last. I do know I got subpar care post trauma and I was forced to manage the trauma on my own.

 

[Chava]

If untreated, I can belief we get triggered more an more easily as our bodies become worn down by the constant stress. I've had near meltdowns because I couldn't physically handle any more stress, not even little things. Also, I think it's pretty common or easy to create negative feedback loops, even if we don't mean to or want to...examples being avoidance and further avoidance because we learn avoidance really feels safer. And isolation feeds into depression and depression feeds into isolation and pain, etc. It can certainly snowball, especially given new stressors or triggers. It might not be "progressive" in any standard sense because I've also known people who adapted in more healthy ways over time, even without treatment. Maybe they were very lucky. I know my symptoms were snowballing big and fast...probably set in motion by stressors that seemed to have very little to do with my original traumas, but they tested the limits of my coping abilities and I was just crumbling apart and had to find help.