Understanding PTSD: Symptoms, Causes, and Effective Treatment Options

PTSD stands for post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a mental health condition, an anxiety disorder, to be more precise. It develops after a traumatic event and is characterized by flashbacks of the event, anxiety, tension, restlessness, hypervigilance, paranoia, and other kinds of similar unpleasant feelings. It is important to note that not everybody who experiences trauma develops PTSD.

At the NuView Treatment Center, our treatment for PTSD follows a compassionate, personalized approach. Our treatment plan involves evidence-based therapies and trauma-focused therapies to enable our clients to process their experiences and emotions and regain control of their lives. Toward the same, we believe in providing a safe and supportive environment to ensure our clients feel understood and empowered in their journey toward a healthy, fulfilling life.

What Is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

Post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly abbreviated as PTSD, is an anxiety disorder. It develops after a traumatic event. It is not necessary that PTSD develops from a single traumatic event, there can be several traumatic events that can happen at the same time. Trauma is generally considered to be a life-threatening event that hampers physical and psychological well-being. It can be something single or something ongoing. For instance, an accident is a single traumatic event, whereas abuse is ongoing.

PTSD was not always known as such, it most famously went by the name of “shell shock.” Diagnosed in war veterans during WWI and then referred to as “gross stress disorder” in DSM-I, it came to be known as post-traumatic stress disorder only in the 1970s after the Vietnam War.

PTSD is more common in women than in men, and more common in military personnel than in civilians.

What Are The Types of PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder, but it has many subtypes. Some conditions very closely associated with PTSD are as follows:

Normal Stress Response –

What can begin as a general stress response by the body as in a general fight-or-flight reaction to an event, like illnesses, accidents, and so on, can develop into PTSD.

If stress is intense, prolonged, and disrupts day-to-day functioning, then therapy can help prevent PTSD.

Acute Stress Disorder –

It usually develops between 3 days to 30 days after a traumatic event or witnessing one. Its symptoms are very much similar to PTSD except that it is more short-term. If symptoms last more than 4 months, then it can meet the diagnostic criteria of PTSD as well.

Uncomplicated PTSD –

The most common subtype of PTSD, it is characterized by re-experiencing traumatic events in the form of flashbacks, nightmares, and so on. People also go to great lengths to avoid elements related to the traumatic event.

Complex PTSD –

Unlike uncomplicated PTSD, complex PTSD develops as a consequence of repeated or several traumas over a period of time. For instance, experience of ongoing abuse can lead to complex PTSD.

Dissociative PTSD –

This is when traumatic events lead to re-experiencing them over and over again along with a level of dissociation as well, like detachment, depersonalization, and so on.

Comorbid PTSD –

With comorbid PTSD, it is when PTSD occurs with other conditions like major depressive disorder, substance use disorder, and so on.

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What Are The Symptoms of PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms are wide-ranging. They must last for at least a month and impede daily functioning for a person to be diagnosed with PTSD.  

• Intrusive thinking patterns, like repeated thoughts of the traumatic event, flashbacks of the traumatic event that are very vivid and intense, and nightmares.
• Avoidance is generally seen as avoiding different things associated with the traumatic event (from places to people), avoiding talking about the traumatic event, and avoiding remembering the traumatic event.
• Mood shifts, which are characterized by feelings of fear, anger, or shame. It also involves emotional detachment, social withdrawal, and no longer being able to enjoy the things a person once did.
• Irritability, frustration, and angry outbursts become very common.
• Engaging in self-destructive behaviors.
• Hypervigilance and feelings of paranoia.
• Sleep difficulties.

PTSD is found in children as well, however, symptoms in children can be a little different from the ones mentioned above. In fact, it can often be confused with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as children with PTSD are irritable, disorganized, and have problems with focus.

What Are The Causes of PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder develops as a result of an extremely distressing event or from prolonged traumatic experiences. These can be, but are not limited to:

• Accidents
• Illnesses and diseases (especially chronic ones)
• Death of a loved one
• Abuse
• Sexual assault
• War
• Torture
• Exposure to traumatic events or experiences (vicarious trauma)

Everyone who experiences trauma in life doesn't need to develop PTSD. In fact, 1 in 3 people who have experienced trauma do.

Risk Factors for PTSD

Certain risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder are as follows:

• Experience or exposure to trauma – this can be childhood trauma like abuse, life-threatening events, war, and so on.
• Repeated traumatic experiences.
• Lack of a social support system.
• Gender, as women are more likely to develop PTSD than men.
• A family history of PTSD can also increase the likelihood of PTSD, so there may be a genetic factor involved as well.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of PTSD will involve a mental health practitioner inquiring about symptoms like trauma, re-experiences of the trauma, and avoidance behavior. It will also involve looking at family history, medical history, and a diagnosis of PTSD based on DSM-5-TR criteria of the following:

• At least one intrusive symptom
• At least one avoidance symptom
• At least two mood-related symptoms
• At least two other symptoms pertaining to hypervigilance, anger, sleep, and self-destructive behaviors.

It is also important to note that the above-mentioned symptoms must last for at least a month for a diagnosis of PTSD.

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Treatment Options for PTSD

PTSD treatment is basically psychotherapy or talk therapy and medication. The most commonly used therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It involves identifying negative thinking patterns, leading to negative emotions, beliefs, and behaviors. Then, it involves reshaping these patterns into healthy and productive ones.

The different kinds of CBT techniques used for PTSD are as follows:

• Cognitive Processing Therapy – Specifically meant for PTSD, it enables confronting traumatic experiences and memories, and changing the negative thinking and emotional patterns associated with them.
• Prolonged Exposure Therapy – It works by exposing the client to detailed and repeated recall of the traumatic event(s) in a safe and controlled manner. It helps confront fears and equips the client with skills to cope with them.
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – It involves being acutely aware of how the body responds to trauma, identifying the thinking patterns associated with trauma, and healing from it.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Theory – This involves focusing on eye movement while processing trauma and healing from the same.

Apart from CBT, group therapy and family therapy are also used in the treatment of PTSD. Here, clients get to share their experiences in a safe and nonjudgmental environment.

Medication is also used in PTSD treatment. Some of the common medications used in PTSD treatment are anti-anxiety (anxiolytics) and antidepressants. These help cope with the symptoms of PTSD but do not help in getting to the root of the disorder, something which psychotherapy helps with. Hence, medication is the most effective when used in combination with psychotherapy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you deal with trauma PTSD?

The best way to deal with trauma and PTSD is to seek professional help in the form of psychotherapy and medication. Talking to trusted loved ones and self-care are also some things one can follow to help deal with trauma and PTSD.

Is PTSD self-treatable?

PTSD is not generally self-treatable. Hence, seeking professional help is vital.

Can you recover from PTSD?

Yes, one can recover from PTSD with the right approach and treatment.

What is the best treatment for PTSD?

The best treatment for PTSD is psychotherapy (especially cognitive behavioral therapy) and medication.