Post-traumatic stress disorder: You eyes can reveal your past traumatic experiences

Experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event, irritability and angry outbursts, difficulty sleeping are some of the symptoms of PTSD. If you’re suffering from this mental health condition, your eyes can tell it all. Researchers can now tell if you have suffered traumatic experiences in the past by measuring your pupils.

A UK-based pupillometry study found that the pupils of people with PTSD did not constrict quickly in response to increases in light. The findings were recently published in the journal Biological Psychology.

For the study, the researchers included a cohort of 20 participants who met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, 28 participants who had been exposed to trauma but didn’t have PTSD, and a control group of 17 people without trauma exposure or PTSD. The participants were shown threatening images such as vicious animals or weapons, as well as other images that showed neutral events, or even pleasant images.

Individuals with PTSD showed reduced pupil constriction in response to changes in light level. Compared to other participants, pupils of those with PTSD also showed hyperarousal and an exaggerated dilation in response to both negative images and positive images.

The researchers suggested that people who suffered traumatic experiences in the past are in a constant state of vigilance and so they react strongly to arousing images.

PTSD disrupts autonomic nervous system responses

These findings suggest that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may affect both branches of the autonomic nervous system.

The greater response to the threatening pictures was expected as people with PTSD are hypersensitive to their surroundings due to an overactive sympathetic nervous system response. But, the researchers were surprised to reduced constriction in response to changes in ambient light. This suggests that people with PTSD also have problems with their parasympathetic system.

Based on these pupillometry results, the study concluded that patients with PTSD may be more likely to experience reduced parasympathetic arousal and increased sympathetic arousal of their autonomic nervous systems.

However, the researchers noted that this idea needs to be tested empirically before it is put into clinical practice.

Risk Factors for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD, but it remains unclear why some people get affected. Below are some risk factors that may increase the chance of experiencing PTSD symptoms:

Past traumatic experiences, such as a rape, car accident, disaster, or act of violence
History of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
Family history of PTSD or depression
History of substance abuse
Poor coping skills or lower levels of psychological functioning
Lack of social support
Ongoing stress

If those disturbing thoughts and feelings about a traumatic event persist for more than a month, if the symptoms are prevent you from returning to normal life, id you start thinking of harming yourself – talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. Early treatment can help prevent PTSD symptoms from getting worse. Treatment of PTSD symptoms usually involves psychotherapy and counseling, medication, or a combination.

Post-traumatic stress disorder: You eyes can reveal your past traumatic experiences

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Post-traumatic stress disorder: You eyes can reveal your past traumatic experiences

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