BXBX NOVEL Chapter 643: 643: Husband and Wife Co-Treating
“Mr. Wallace, please ask your friend to fill in this form first, and then let me look at it. I can discuss his condition with you after that. He must write truthfully without any concealment, otherwise it will affect my assessment. Having a disease is not terrible. But it’s important to start treatment early.”
Martin Wallace agreed with what Professor Winnie said, nodding his head frequently. A shadow passed over Martin’s eyes, “Professor Winnie, can you clarify for me what post-traumatic stress disorder is?”
“I can explain in detail.”
“Can I record this? I want to let my friend listen to it.”
Professor Winnie nodded, and immediately, Martin took out a recorder and turned on the recording function.
“Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, has three core groups of symptoms: traumatic re-experience symptoms, avoidance and numbing symptoms, and symptoms of heightened alertness.
Traumatic re-experience symptoms manifest as patient’s thoughts, memories or dreams repeatedly and involuntarily presenting scenarios or content related to the trauma. There could be severe reactions to triggering cues, to the extent that they feel as if the traumatic event is happening again.
Avoidance and numbing symptoms primarily manifest as the patient long-term or persistently drastically avoiding events or situations related to the traumatic experience, refusing to participate in related activities, avoiding places or people related to the trauma. Some patients even have selective amnesia, unable to recall details of the traumatic event.
Symptoms of heightened alertness mainly manifest as difficulty falling asleep, being easily startled, anxiousness, difficulty focusing, palpitations, shortness of breath, etc.
Patients can have all three core symptoms simultaneously, generally starting to manifest a few days or six months after the traumatic event and persisting for at least a month, but can last several months or even several years, occasionally even up to a decade.
Usually, after experiencing a significant traumatic event, psychological first aid should be provided according to the situation, with guidance and intervention starting as early as possible. During the treatment process, the patient may relapse multiple times, and it’s important for those around them to provide support and reassurance.”
“Did your friend’s wife say that he has PTSD? Is she a doctor?”
Hesitating slightly, Martin admitted frankly: “Yes! Actually, my good friend’s wife is Olivia Jenkins, and, indeed, there have been issues between the couple.”
With a sharp look in her eyes, Professor Winnie made eye contact with Martin, “If this is Olivia’s diagnosis, then, your friend most likely does have PTSD. The only thing we need to ascertain now is exactly which core symptoms he is currently expressing. If your friend wants to undergo treatment, it would be best if they came in together as a couple.”
Receiving a relatively sincere answer, Martin’s face subtly changed, and his mood suddenly became heavy.
He hadn’t consulted a doctor, thinking it might not be a serious issue. Now he realised the situation was indeed quite serious, and very complicated.
Thankfully, Olivia had mentioned it. He had taken it seriously and immediately contacted Professor Winnie. Otherwise, he might not have known how serious Daniel’s condition was.
Having reached this point, Olivia should have had a frank talk with Daniel earlier, accompanied him for therapy, but she hasn’t told Daniel anything.
In the final analysis, Olivia still doesn’t want to confront the past between Charmy Bennett and Daniel.
This couple really should see a psychologist. It takes two to tango, and they can’t just blame each other.
“Thank you very much, Professor Winnie. I will urge them to come to you for a consultation as soon as possible.”
“I am willing to help them, but treatment won’t work if only one person comes. The wife’s support and companionship are essential. They both have to work hard.”