A woman stands in front of a chart full of notes. Getty Images Having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is far from easy. From dealing with flashbacks to having trouble sleeping to wanting to isolate, experiencing PTSD symptoms can be extremely difficult. I was diagnosed with PTSD and am on medication to get through the night without having nightmares or sweating excessively. I’m one of millions of Americans who has PTSD.
In any given year 13 million Americans will have PTSD . In other words, 5% of adults in the United States have PTSD. There are so many reasons people are diagnosed with PTSD. Some people survived climate-related disasters. Others witnessed mass unalivings during times of war. Many survived several forms of abuse.
The deeply stigmatized anxiety disorder is often associated with veterans, but PTSD can affect people in any line of work. That’s why it’s important to talk about how the disorder affects people in the workplace. Work can be challenging when you have PTSD. Here are a few ways to deal with PTSD symptoms at work. Find A Therapist
According to Dr. Koenen, a professor of psychiatric epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, it can be extremely difficult to work when you have PTSD, especially if you have a high pressure job. She told me that having PTSD can affect people at work in several ways, including re-experiencing trauma, being avoidant, and experiencing emotional dysregulation.
“The hypervigilance of PTSD can cause difficulty focusing on tasks and get in the way of getting things done. One aspect of PTSD is avoiding people/places/feelings that remind the person of the traumatic event. Avoidance can look like poor performance or not caring if it leads to missing meetings or obligations,” she told me in an email.
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“Emotion dysregulation can show up exactly how it sounds – losing your temper at work or exploding at a colleague […]
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