Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur in people who have witnessed terrible events or extremely stressful situations.
Diagnosing PTSD
Any person who is suspected of having PTSD will need to undergo a mental health assessment. This entails responding to a series of questions or completing a questionnaire under the guidance of a mental health specialist. A physical examination will also be performed to identify any health issues that might be aggravating or causing the patient’s symptoms.
After these evaluations, the doctor will discuss the findings with the patient and offer individualized care appropriate to their needs.
Treatments
Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event goes on to develop PTSD, and not everyone who has PTSD needs psychiatric interventions because some people recover from this mental illness on their own or because the love and support they receive from those around them is sufficient.
PTSD diagnosis does not mean a person’s life is over for them. Treatments exist for PTSD. Since they work best together, short and long-term psychotherapy coupled with medication are typically used in combination to treat patients.
These two treatments together have the following advantages:
- Learning/honing the ability to control the symptoms
- Finding other coping mechanisms in case the symptoms recur
- Providing mental clarity so the patient may think more clearly for himself and those around him
- Regaining confidence and self-belief
Cognitive behavioral treatment, or CBT, is the most effective psychotherapy or talk therapy used with individuals with PTSD. CBT’s primary objective is to change the beliefs or thoughts that give rise to the disorder.
CBT encompasses a variety of therapy types, including:
- CPT or cognitive processing therapy. This 12-session psychotherapy includes talking about troubling ideas, assisting the patient in facing unpleasant and negative emotions, and guiding them in evaluating and processing those disturbing memories and feelings so they may move on.
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). This is an 8-15 minute therapy session that teaches PTSD sufferers to address their trauma-related memories and feelings gradually. Done in a safe and regulated way, it involves exposing the patient to triggers for their symptoms and engaging in repeated visualization of the trauma, which helps the patient confront what they are avoiding and ultimately learn how to deal with them.
For people who are experiencing nightmares and flashbacks, PE is especially beneficial. Utilizing virtual reality programs that let the patient revisit or relive the event that caused the trauma is one approach of this type of therapy.
- The structured trauma-focused therapy known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has patients concentrate on upsetting or painful memories while watching a light bar or the therapist’s fingers moving back and forth. This technique is comparable to REM Sleep, in which the patient is allowed to move their eyes in a particular manner as they digest the traumatic experiences. Weekly sessions, lasting roughly three months, are the norm for EMDR treatment.
In due course, the patient will undergo cognitive and stimulating shifts that will ultimately lessen the intensity of the traumatic experience.
- Like the other psychotherapies previously discussed, group therapy is thought to be equally beneficial. Participants in this type can range from a few to as many as twenty and is often conducted by one or more mental health professionals. Encouraging trauma survivors to talk about their experiences benefits everyone by helping them connect with each other and acquire new coping mechanisms during therapy sessions.
Medications
Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms are managed with a variety of drugs. These are FDA-approved antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), that are used in conjunction with psychotherapy to reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Additionally, some medications that treat anxiety-related symptoms and help to lessen nightmares or sleep problems that typically trouble PTSD sufferers may be prescribed.
Getting through PTSD
Healing from traumatic events is often an uncomfortable and unpleasant process. However, with the correct combination of psychotherapy and medicine, along with endurance, fortitude, diligence, and confidence in oneself and others, recovery from PTSD is achievable. No matter how slowly your healing is going, acknowledge it. Recovery is a process of thoroughly comprehending and deriving meaning from the experience.
Do not hesitate to seek assistance if stressful or traumatic events are impacting you or a loved one and are having a negative impact on your daily lives. A mental health practitioner can assist you in managing and imparting skills that will enable you to deal with stressful events in your life more effectively.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355973
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-are-treatments-for-posttraumatic-stress-disorder
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-are-treatments-for-posttraumatic-stress-disorder
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd
https://news.va.gov/102939/ptsd-bytes-8-treatments-for-ptsd-5-emdr/
https://westwindrecovery.com/recovery-blog/how-to-heal-from-trauma/
