PTSD

What is PTSD?

PTSD is a disabling mental health disorder. It can develop after involvement in or witnessing an intensely disturbing or frightening event.

These events are usually extreme situations like being in a war zone, being in a building that’s on fire, or being in or seeing a severe car accident. You can also develop complex PTSD after prolonged trauma like childhood or spousal abuse that continues for years.

PTSD causes severe symptoms that don’t improve as time passes. Having PTSD can severely affect your ability to work, study, or maintain relationships. People with PTSD often become withdrawn and turn to drugs and/or alcohol to mask their pain.

What symptoms does PTSD cause?

PTSD symptoms include:

• Intrusive thoughts

Flashbacks happen when a trigger, like a sound or smell, takes you back to the traumatic event. More than just a memory, a flashback makes you feel like you’re reliving the trauma in every detail. Nightmares are also a common PTSD symptom.

• Avoidance

It can be tough to talk about the experience that led to PTSD. Avoidance also applies to people, places, activities, or anything else that might remind you of the trauma. Social withdrawal and substance misuse are markers of avoidance.

• Thought and mood changes

It’s common to experience hopelessness, worthlessness, despair, and guilt when you have PTSD. You’ll likely experience anger and severe anxiety and lose interest in activities you used to enjoy.

• Physical and emotional reaction changes

It’s not uncommon for friends and family to see you as a different person from the one they knew before PTSD. Overreacting in stressful situations and behaving as though you were being threatened are common responses. PTSD can also cause sleeping problems and appetite changes.

How is PTSD treated?

Medication and talk therapies usually help with PTSD. Medicines that can ease your symptoms include:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
• Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
• Anti-anxiety drugs
• Antipsychotic medication

Opening up about your trauma during psychotherapy and learning to deal with your symptoms using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are also highly beneficial.

The Neuropsychiatric Care Center offers transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) if you aren’t improving with medication and therapy. This safe, painless treatment reduces PTSD symptoms by increasing the neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) crucial for mood regulation.

Call the Neuropsychiatric Care Center or book an appointment online today to find effective solutions to PTSD symptoms.