Treatments for PTSD

PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a psychiatric disorder characterised by intrusive thoughts and memories, dreams or flashbacks of the event; avoidance of people, places and activities that remind the individual of the event; ongoing negative beliefs about oneself or the world, mood changes and persistent feelings of anger, guilt or fear; alterations in arousal such as increased irritability, angry outbursts, being hypervigilant, or having difficulty with concentration and sleep.^[1]

Many people who have PTSD also experience feeling detached or distanced from their friends and family.^[2] It is not uncommon for people with PTSD to experience the disorder simultaneously with other psychiatric illnesses like anxiety disorder, depression and substance use disorder. Uncovering any comorbidities is an important part in moving forward with treatment and finding one that works best for each unique individual.^[3]

Exposure to trauma induces stress as a result of an individual directly or indirectly experiencing some type of threat to life,^[4] also referred to as a Potentially Traumatic Experience (PTE). PTEs can include—but are not limited to—sexual violence, physical abuse, death of a loved one, witnessing another person injured, exposure to natural disaster, being a victim of a serious crime, car accident, combat and interpersonal violence. PTEs can also include learning that a traumatic event occurred to another person or witnessing the traumatic event; an individual does not have to experience the event themselves to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PTEs are labeled as such because not everyone who experiences one or more of the events listed will develop PTSD. However, PTSD is estimated to develop in about 4% of individuals who experience some type of traumatic experience.^[5] The prevalence of PTSD will vary due to individual differences such as population characteristics, previous trauma exposure, trauma type, military service history and other personal differences. Approximately 8% of adults in the United States will experience PTSD at some point in their lives.^[5] Stress responses can be adaptive at the time of the traumatic event, but biological stress responses over time can lead to symptoms that impede daily functioning and general quality of life. This is when trauma exposure becomes PTSD.^[4]

PTSD is commonly treated with various types of psychotherapy and antidepressants.^[6] Everyone is very different in terms of how they respond to different treatments and medications. Because people experience different symptoms of PTSD, they will need the therapy they choose to target different things, and therefore act in different ways. People may need to try different combinations of treatments to find the one that works best for them. Regardless of what type of treatment someone chooses, it is important to go to a trained professional first who has experience with treating PTSD, and can help the patient through their recovery journey.^[7] The Anxiety and Depression Association of America recommends anyone experiencing symptoms longer than a few weeks that interfere with daily functioning to seek professional help.