PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, like combat, assault, accidents, or disasters, causing persistent fear and anxiety that don't fade, leading to symptoms like intrusive memories (flashbacks, nightmares), avoidance, negative mood/thoughts, and heightened reactions (hyperarousal) that disrupt daily life for over a month.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's caused by an extremely stressful or terrifying event — either being part of it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.
The most recent evidence is compelling that its use of trauma-focused therapies such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), Eye Movement, Desensitization, and Restructuring (EMDR), and others with significant trauma focus are the current gold standard for treatment.
Although it may take a while to feel the benefits of therapy or medicines, treatment can be effective. Most people recover. Remind yourself that it takes time. Following your treatment plan and routinely reaching out to your mental health professional will help move you forward.
A series of verbal and written tests assesses a person's thinking, behaviors, and emotions. These tests provide detailed information about a person's cognitive strengths and weaknesses. After an evaluation is complete, our specialists hold a feedback session with you to discuss findings and treatment recommendations.
The 5 core signs of PTSD fall into categories: Re-experiencing (flashbacks, nightmares), Avoidance (staying away from reminders), Negative Changes in Mood & Cognition (guilt, detachment, loss of interest), Changes in Arousal & Reactivity (hypervigilance, easily startled, irritability), and sometimes Physical Symptoms like chronic pain or headaches, all stemming from a trauma, though the exact symptoms vary.
Trauma Response (The 4 F's – Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn)
These triggers can be external, such as sights, sounds, smells, or locations that are associated with the trauma. They can also be internal, such as certain thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations that are similar to those experienced during the traumatic event.
Medicine. The 2 medicines recommended to treat PTSD in adults are paroxetine and sertraline. Paroxetine and sertraline are both a type of antidepressant known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
The course of the disorder varies. Although some people recover within 6 months, others have symptoms that last for 1 year or longer. People with PTSD often have co-occurring conditions, such as depression, substance use, or one or more anxiety disorders.
There are 3 SSRI/ SNRI medications that are recommended for PTSD:
Common Triggers of PTSD
10 ways to relax when you have PTSD
It's common to have feelings of fear and anxiety after a traumatic event. In some cases, these feelings can last for a long time and affect how you cope with everyday life. If these symptoms continue to persist more than a month after traumatic event, they may be a sign of PTSD.
During the world wars, the condition was known under various terms, including "shell shock", "war nerves", neurasthenia and 'combat neurosis'. The term "post-traumatic stress disorder" came into use in the 1970s, in large part due to the diagnoses of U.S. military veterans of the Vietnam War.
TBI creates a physical injury in the brain. PTSD develops from the psychological trauma of the event. So, many events that lead to PTSD do not involve a head injury. And an event that includes a TBI does not mean you will also develop PTSD.
Some of the responses to avoid saying to someone with PTSD include:
Symptoms vary, but they usually include reliving the trauma through flashbacks or nightmares, and avoiding reminders of the event. Emotional numbness and heightened arousal like irritability or insomnia are also common.
Currently only sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for PTSD. From the FDA perspective, all other medication uses are “off label” (see footnote), though there are differing levels of evidence supporting their use.
PTSD is not only about the emotions. It can trigger real changes in the body, including: Increased adrenaline: The body's fight or flight response is activated, leading to heightened alertness and a readiness to respond to danger.
A closer examination of the pattern of memory deficits reveals that PTSD most, significantly impacts the initial acquisition and learning phases of memory, as opposed to the retention phase.
When our brain then recognises similarities between our present situation and our past trauma (e.g. a colour, smell or noise), it can activate the fight, flight, freeze, flop or friend response, even if we're not currently in danger.
They may be impulsive, acting before they think. Aggressive behaviors also include complaining, "backstabbing," being late or doing a poor job on purpose, self-blame, or even self-injury. Many people with PTSD only use aggressive responses to threat.
A bottom-up therapeutic approach helps survivors acquire new coping skills to manage overwhelming emotions effectively. Without learning to safely experience and process feelings in the body, trauma cannot be fully addressed.
' Often, when we've experienced trauma, our nervous system becomes more sensitive and reactive, recalling past pain even when our conscious mind doesn't. Crying in anger can become an overflow of emotions, where anger, fear, sadness, and helplessness mix, pulling us back into intense past feelings.