Diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:

To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must have all of the following symptoms for at least one month:

• One instance of re-experiencing the trauma through a bad dream, overwhelming scary thoughts, or a flashback
• One instance of avoiding places, events, or things that remind the person of the traumatic experience
• Two instances of being triggered and reacting to reminders of the trauma – being easily startled and having angry outbursts
• Two instances of cognition and mood symptoms – such as forgetting important moments of the traumatic event, guilt, or not wanting to do anything enjoyable
• Having a history of mental illness or substance abuse

The symptoms must also be severe enough to interfere with relationships or debilitate important areas of functioning — social, occupational, academic, and/or other.

You can screen yourself or a loved one using tools provided by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).

Treatments and Therapies for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:

The treatment for PTSD can include medication, talk therapy, psychotherapy, EMDR, exposure therapy, and community support. It is critical for an individual to be treated by someone with experience with PTSD.

Each case is different based on the trauma and that person’s response to the triggers and various types of medication or therapy, so a treatment must be customized to the individual. It is not uncommon for a person to work with their doctor to try a number of treatments to see what works best for them.

• Talk therapy – such as cognitive-behavioral therapy. Helps educate the person on the condition, their symptoms and thought patterns, what the current triggers are, and how to adopt behaviors and perspectives to help reduce symptoms and manage the condition.
• Psychotherapy – individual or group therapy can last between one and a half months to three months.
• EMDR – eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR involves moving your eyes from side to side while recounting the traumatic experience. How EMDR works is unknown; however, this form of therapy has been reported to be highly effective in the treatment of PTSD, GAD, and OCD.
• Exposure therapy – to gradually expose an individual to the source of trauma as a way to help them slowly become less sensitive to it. This can be done in person or through virtual reality graded exposure therapy (VRGET).
• Community – Where possible, additional support from family and friends has been shown to be a critical part of the path to recovery. For individuals who have PTSD due to an ongoing situation like a toxic workplace or an abusive relationship, both the situation and the condition need to be tackled to bring the most relief.
• Lifestyle changes – such as getting daily exercise, a good night’s sleep, and adopting a healthy diet.
• Medications

  • Antidepressant medication – such as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
  • Sleeping meds – to help with falling asleep or staying asleep
  • Antiadrenergic agents – slow down the central nervous system
  • CBD oil – can provide relief after a random PTSD moment

Everyone responds to the trauma in accidents, violent acts, or natural disasters differently, and when taking the first steps towards treatment it can be difficult to know where to start. A family doctor can get you started with some initial guidance, and while it can take time and be difficult at times, there are successful and proven treatments through which people can get better. If you would prefer not to talk to the doctor, you can do a search for hotlines, social services or mental health providers in your area.

Productive and helpful activities during treatment

• Work with your doctor to help create achievable goals that have smaller, prioritized action steps
• Spend time with trustworthy, comforting, supportive, and encouraging people
• Tell those closest to you about potential triggers
• Anticipate seeing gradual improvement for your symptoms
• Find and spend time at comforting events and places