Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – Types of PTSD Therapy Available

What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? What are PTSD and how is it treated? First of all, you must know what is PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that is often experienced by individuals after some form of trauma such as physical, sexual or mental abuse. What happens here is that the individual has an overwhelming, lasting fear of another incident occurring in a specific setting or scenario. This may come about from a person’s experience in combat, a car accident, being attacked, or even experiencing some type of medical emergency.

Often times, symptoms of this disorder will manifest as physical symptoms. Individuals who are dealing with the trauma and its aftermath, will have difficulty sleeping, eating, concentrating, and can become depressed. These physical symptoms often take longer to surface than the emotional symptoms. This is because of the avoidance behaviors of sufferers who are trying to avoid the traumas from re-occurring. These can include everything from avoidance of parties, to avoiding contact with family members, to avoidance of any place or situation that reminds one of the traumatic event. Another way that people may try to avoid the traumatic event is to keep their head down, not speaking, and concentrating on nothing except the present.

While it is difficult to understand why people do this, there are causes that can be pinned down. Usually when someone has been through a traumatic event, they will develop psychological issues that lead them to develop these symptoms. One common reason is that they were afraid of their boss or they had been fired from their job and thus, avoided being in the spotlight. Sometimes, people who are dealing with the trauma will become depressed due to their inability to open up to others and to have normal social interactions. In order to treat the problem, the right ptsd therapy for the right situation will have to be sought.

Sometimes, people who have suffered from traumatic experiences in the past can find that they continue to have PTSD even when they have moved on to a different area of the world. This is due to the fact that certain parts of the brain that deal with emotion and anxiety remain intact in people with PTSD. For example, if a child was abused as a child, they may have emotional scars that trigger post-traumatic stress disorder later in life. In addition, a person who has gone through a traumatic event such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks in America may experience some level of PTSD as well. Finding the right PTSD therapist for the right traumatic experiences is vital in treating the condition.

When PTSD first arises, the patient’s emotional state may be unclear and their ability to regulate their emotions may be hindered. However, there are many things a patient can do to help themselves through the onset of symptoms. Avoidance, isolation, avoidance, minimization, and other emotional techniques can help a patient learn to better control their emotions so they do not over react when there is danger. It is important to remember that under most circumstances people with PTSD can and do manage to lead normal lives.

There are several different types of treatment options available to help people cope with the symptoms of PTSD. The most common among these are behavioral or cognitive processing therapy. Cognitive processing therapy addresses the patient’s emotional, mental health, and social issues by helping them change their thought processes in order to better cope with their symptoms. Because of the difficulty that people with PTSD have to change their thought processes, behavioral or cognitive treatment often last longer than the standard forms of treatment which allow the symptoms to resurface over time.

Another type of treatment option used in the process of working to treat PTSD is exposure therapy. With this form of PTSD therapy, patients are exposed to their traumas or triggers in small amounts over a period of time until they can manage to avoid the triggering events. Although this form of therapy is not used to treat long term symptoms, it can help to alleviate short-term fears or shock. Because exposure therapy helps to reduce the chances of another trauma occurring, it can be helpful for anyone who experiences PTSD to minimize future stressors.

Lastly, there is the possibility of using drug therapy for PTSD. This type of therapy is not commonly used, and usually only starts to help when the symptoms of trauma have become more severe. Common drugs used to treat the symptoms of trauma include benzodiazepines which are used to block the effects of the symptoms and antidepressants. Antidepressants can also be used in conjunction with other forms of trauma assistance therapy to treat both the physical and mental health aspects of the disorder.

Ann Miller

+ posts

• Remote video feedback in iCBT for Social Anxiety Disorder
• Scientists Map Networks Regulating Gene Function in the Human Brain
• Making children and young people's mental health care evidence-based
• Information Session: NIMH Intramural Research Program Training Opportunities (June)

More To Read:

He Was Searched For To Have – Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd) What Is PTSD Therapy? Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – What it is and How it Develops We Need To Have A Look At What They Fear – Famous People Phobias Mental Health Symptoms: An Additional 20 To 25 Percent Have Had Partial Ptsd At Some Point In Their Lives Types of PTSD Therapy Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Online Therapy Finding the Right PTSD Treatment Center