Many people, including health professionals and sufferers, do not recognise the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and consequently potentially thousands of people are not getting the treatment they need.

PTSD is believed to affect hundreds of thousands of people each year in the UK alone (approximately 1.5% of the population) – and whilst many people believe that PTSD is something that only soldiers get after being in a war-zone, it can occur whenever a person has felt that their life is in danger.

A leading psychiatrist in this field, Dr Jennifer Wild, who is based at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry says that PTSD is not being adequately recognised, addressed or treated despite its prevalence.

People with PTSD can suffer appalling symptoms (including flashbacks, irrational fears, loss of control of emotions, intense anger, inability to concentrate and being scared, like being in a state of threat all the time) for years without treatment. Many people don’t seek treatment, either because they’re ashamed (mental health problems still carry a huge stigma) or because they fear that they will be locked away or have their children removed if they admit to the problems they are suffering (neither of these things will typically happen, of course).

But those who do seek treatment often find that their GPs don’t recognise the symptoms for what they are and fail to provide adequate care. They may simply provide anti-depressants or drugs to aid sleep. That’s because many of the symptoms of PTSD overlap with those of depression (which often features sleep problems like insomnia).

For PTSD to be properly tackled, though, a combination of the right type of anti-depressant (such as paroxetine, which can have side-effects and must be reduced gradually if a person wants to stop taking them) with talking therapy to address the original trauma and put it firmly in the past rather than have it affect the present to such a degree.

GPs should be trained to ask anyone suffering from depression-symptoms or insomnia whether they have been through any kind of traumatic event. They need to ask if they’re suffering any of the typical symptoms of PTSD including intrusive memories or flashbacks, nightmares, avoiding triggers that remind them of the event (e.g. many women are traumatised by the delivery of their child and may avoid pregnant friends or watching programmes on TV about pregnancy or birth).

If you are suffering from PTSD, you can ask your GP to refer you to the IAPT team (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) or you can refer yourself.