So you’re living your life, worrying about the normal things that every day throws up, like dosh (lack of), dating (I wish), dieting (never-ending) or generally whatever floats your boat. But sometimes it’s the bigger problems that can affect us.

It is fair to say that many of us will have to deal with traumatic experiences at some point in our lives, but when does the effect of these events actually begin to affect our minds?

Shell shock, battle fatigue and soldier’s heart are just a few of the terms that have been given over the years to the condition now referred to as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

It’s estimated between 7 and 8 per cent of the general population will develop the disorder at some point in their lives and this has been reflected recently in the increased media attention over the rising death toll in the Afghanistan war.

Although PTSD has been around for centuries, the term didn’t come into use until the 1980s and has been explored by a variety of genres within the media. Even soapland has jumped on the bandwagon.

Channel Four’s Hollyoaks explored PTSD after introducing Caleb Ramsey, played by Michael Ryan, earlier this year. He’s a violent solider with a bad attitude but later we realise Caleb has run away from the army and reveals to his brother Zach that he’s scared to go back to war.

In an emotional scene Caleb describes to his brother what the war is like.

“I thought the speech was fantastic when he’s telling his brother what happens,” Michael explains. “I think it’s really, really well written. You don’t often see scenes like that in soaps. I think it was very true and very honest.”

Real soldiers were used in the scenes and although Michael acknowledges Caleb is just a character, working alongside the solider and speaking to friends from Afghanistan has opened his eyes to the condition

“Of course it’s a big thing. Someone very close to me suffered from PTSD. You can’t expect to take young men out of a normal society, especially a western society, to a war-torn society and expose them to the horrors of war, and then bring them back. There’s going to be consequences and the consequence is PTSD.”

Acting brought the condition to life for Michael: “I found I had to go to difficult places with my imagination. It’s quite difficult where you have to take you mind to, to try and bring the truth of that out.”

Hopefully we’ll be seeing Caleb returning to our screens this month.

So, what is it?

You’d be forgiven for thinking that only soldiers suffer from PTSD, but in fact anyone can be caught out. Even someone with professional training on how to treat the disorder can still be affected as Elaine Iljon Foreman, a charted clinical psychologist, knows all too well.

“Children, adults, it can happen to anyone. In fact, to my intense dismay, within the last couple of years, I had a very severe car accident where my car was written off. Lo and behold, with all my training, I had to accept the fact I’m a normal human being and I did have some of those normal reactions.”

It’s difficult to imagine this calm and collected woman ever suffering from such a disorder. She looks relaxed in her quirky London home and perfectly at ease with herself and with life. It leaves me confused and I have to ask: “Well, what exactly is PTSD?”

She smiles at me, obviously used to seeing someone’s confusion surrounding the disorder: “Essentially it is when a person has had a traumatic event which either was life-threatening or looked like it was going to give serious illness or injury to themselves or perhaps another person,” Elaine explains while flicking through numerous definitions in front of her; it’s clear this isn’t something straight forward.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) officially added PTSD to its Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in the 80s and it’s now also identified in a number of international classification systems, including a European one.

“Firstly what people will normally get is a number of quite unpleasant symptoms which follow an abnormal event. But if these symptoms don’t resolve naturally by themselves within a three month period and they then continue to happen, that’s when one’s looking at the possibility of a diagnoses of post-traumatic stress.”

There’s a cocktail of symptoms varying from mild to severe. They include: unwanted memories or flashbacks during the day or in dreams; feeling like the trauma is happening again and experiencing physical or emotional reactions or both when reminded of the event; avoiding anything that is a reminder of the event; suppressing feelings; losing interest in life and feeling distant from people; for-shortened future (feeling you don’t have long in this world); much more startled; losing temper easily; difficulty concentrating; poor sleep, and increased sensitivity to noise and light.

But Elaine explains that this isn’t the same for everyone: “I think the important thing is it’s different for different people. When we are talking about a traumatic event, the range is huge - war, events at work, car crash, being attacked. There are so many different potential traumatic events, so I would imagine for each person it will actually feel different.”

But how serious can the condition become?

“While avoidance feels better at the time it is one of the factors that will maintain the problem. PTSD can worsen over time and if untreated can lead to prolonged stress, misery and even death. It can pre-dispose major personality breakdowns.”

And it’s not only the individual who the condition affects. Friends and family can also be affected by PTSD and it’s easy to miss the symptoms and become confused and hurt by your loved one’s actions.

“Linked to an understanding of the fact that the person isn’t being silly or weak, the ability to coax a person through things is important and for people to understand that when a person’s had a traumatic event they may be quite reluctant to talk about it.”

“What friends and family can do is encourage the person to get help. Be understanding if the person is extra irritable and forgetful because that’s going to be how they are, it’s part of the condition.”

Elaine has treated many patients with the condition but I can’t help but think how difficult it is to diagnose, especially if a patient doesn’t realise that their symptoms could be linked to the disorder.

But how do you know?

Staff Nurse Leanne Farrow knows all too well the dangers of not diagnosing the problem and also explains how difficult it can be to diagnose: “PTSD can be difficult to spot if you are not on the look out for it. Within a hospital environment many of the patients that I treat are admitted to hospital due to a different medical condition, it is only when you look closely that you notice that someone may be suffering from PTSD. It is a vicious circle as this condition can hamper healing.”

She also explains why conditions like this can be difficult to diagnose: “Mental health is very misunderstood especially among people who have never either experienced it themselves or had a loved one who has suffered. Just because a person is not physically unwell doesn’t mean that their mind isn’t.”

She explains why sometimes people can be less sympathetic and why they should be more understanding: “Patience is the key. You wouldn’t tell a person with a headache to snap out of it. You would sort out the source of their pain. So mental health needs to be treated accordingly.”

Elaine also backs this up by saying: “People think ‘well I’ve got to pull myself together’ and the more angry they get with themselves the more anxious they can then get and in fact the worse the symptoms can become.”

Because there was no understanding of PTSD back in the 19th century, it was suggested soldiers suffering from the condition should be shot. Now there is plenty of help out there for people who think they may be suffering.

Elaine explains: “There are a number of different physiological treatments available. Cognitative behaviour therapy has shown from research to be effective. There’s also Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR). There are a number of approaches: self-help groups and professional help.

“I think it is quite important if anyone thinks they might have it that they go and get help. Rest, eat well, and accept the symptoms and understand they are normal.”

Click here for the CALM, "What's doing your head in" podcast series where Dr. Elaine Iljon Foreman, a charted clinical psychologist, explains more about PTSD

Donna-Louise Bishop