Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment
According to the World Health Organization, 3.9% of the world population is suffering or has suffered from PTSD at least once in their lifetime. Thanks to mental health awareness, PTSD is a common term used in the current times. But its popularity doesn't make it any less serious. People cannot function normally with the condition and often face an extremely disrupted life due to the loss of emotional balance. PTSD, which is a short form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a serious condition of the mind. Experiencing an extremely traumatic experience can trigger the condition in people.
Frequent thoughts about the experience or the event, sudden flashbacks, and nightmares lead to the onset of extreme anxiety and panic attacks any time of the day and the inability to sleep. Together, the symptoms make functioning normally and living daily lives extremely difficult for not just the people suffering from it but also the ones around them.
The good news is the condition, despite being very severe, can be managed with post traumatic stress disorder treatment. However, PTSD treatment is a must for people suffering from it. Neglecting or delaying treatment can worsen the symptoms and keep damaging the professional and personal life of the patient, causing more anxiety to them.
Here, we guide you through the various post traumatic stress disorder treatment methods like medicines and therapies that help individuals and their loved ones understand the process of recovery and find the best care.
Understanding PTSD: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Causes and Risk Factors of PTSD Disorder Treatment
Traumatic events cause PTSD. But does it affect everyone? No! Similar to any disease where human bodies react differently to different diseases, so is the same with mental conditions. Some traumatic events leave a scar on the minds of some people facing it. If not treated, it may heal but take very long or not heal at all. War experiences (often faced by Army people), natural disasters, major accidents, assaults, etc., are often the cause of PTSD.
While some people facing similar situations may not suffer from PTSD at all, some people are affected. A combination of factors like a family history of mental illness, lack of support after the trauma, and prolonged trauma increases the risk of developing the mental condition. It is thus suggested to take therapy right after a major traumatic event for everyone to control PTSD.
Diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is essentially a mental health condition. It means its diagnosis follows the same process others do. It starts with the patient visiting a professional. It is because even though PTSD is a common word today, common people cannot decide if it's PTSD. It is a mental condition and can only be diagnosed by a professional.
After the patient visits a professional, they will carry out a complete assessment, which will include noting down the symptoms, traumatic experiences recently faced, and the effects they are facing on life.
Mental health specialists rule out other conditions to identify and confirm PTSD based on the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
PTSD Symptoms-
- Invasive memories that disturb daily activity through flashbacks and sleep with nightmares
- Sudden tendency to avoid or face stressful situations
- Sudden and extreme mood changes
- High irritability
Early diagnosis is extremely essential for post traumatic stress disorder treatment. While any stage is treatable, early intervention prompts faster recovery and less damage to personal life and mind. The healing is fast, and it allows the mental health professional to custom design a post traumatic stress disorder treatment plan according to the needs of the patient from the very beginning.
Best PTSD Treatment Options
Post traumatic stress disorder treatment can be of various kinds. The correct PTSD treatment is a custom plan designed by a mental professional based on the symptoms of the condition, the trauma, and the patient's overall mental health. The doctor attempts to aid the patient in managing the symptoms, reduce their frequency, improve their capacity to handle the effects, and strengthen their mental health to improve their life using a combination of PTSD disorder treatment options:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - (CBT) The therapy is used to identify the triggers and the resulting thoughts, trace their patterns, and cope with them by altering the negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - (EMDR) The specialized therapy helps people with severe trauma deal with their intense trauma and symptoms using guided eye movements.
Exposure Therapy Since people with PTSD have the tendency to avoid anything remotely linked to the trauma, the therapy helps them regain control of their lives. It is aimed to help the patient confront their trauma gradually under supervision to reduce their fear and anxiety over time.
PTSD Treatment Medications - In some cases (decided by the professional), SSRIs are prescribed to control the symptoms of the mental condition, such as anxiety, lack of sleep, depression, etc. The medicines help the patient take the therapies needed.
Group Therapy - It puts people suffering from PTSD in a common room. Meeting people suffering from the same problems helps patients find friends and feel understood. They find the support they need and the encouragement to continue with the post traumatic stress disorder treatment.
Steps of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment Process
If you or anyone you know is facing any symptoms of PTSD mentioned above or even have faced a big tragedy recently in life, here are the steps to be followed at the PTSD treatment facilities:
1. Initial Assessment and Admission- Find PTSD treatment near me and seek professional help immediately. The professional, after a thorough mental assessment, will create a custom treatment plan.
2. Managing Symptoms- If the patient has been using unhealthy methods like pills, smoking, or alcohol as coping mechanisms, the second step is to control the added abuse and manage withdrawal symptoms.
3. Post traumatic stress disorder inpatient treatment and Outpatient Care Options- Finally, in the third and final step of designing the post traumatic stress disorder treatment, the doctor decides based on the patient's condition if they need 24/7 observation or can be a visiting patient.
Effective Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment Approaches
We have discussed above the most commonly used post traumatic stress disorder treatment types. Also, we have mentioned that the best treatment is a custom plan designed for a patient based on their requirement. However, the most effective therapies in PTSD treatment are the following, and one is incomplete without the use of at least one or all of them:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT helps with identifying the causes and then developing the skills to change the negative feelings, such as fear, anxiety, shock, etc., with positive ones.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR uses guided eye movements to reduce the effects of an attack in a triggering situation.
- Exposure Therapy: It helps the patient to face their fear gradually under observation so that the memory doesn't send the body into shock every time with flashbacks and nightmares and starts to fade, eventually moving towards recovery.
Medically-Assisted Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post traumatic stress disorder treatment medication is often needed to control and manage the symptoms especially in the initial stage of the treatment. Medicines like antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, sleeping aids, etc., help the patient get aided to make them capable of taking therapies, which are the real PTSD treatment.
Jagruti Rehab- One of The Best PTSD Treatment Centers
Jagruti Rehab is a prestigious mental health center with several branches in India. The trust across the country as one of the best PTSD treatment centers has grown due to our experienced care team and the use of combination treatment plans. Our experienced team is adept with traditional methods of recovery as well as modern treatment plans. Thus, it helps them to combine therapy, post traumatic stress disorder treatment medication, care, and technology to get good and lasting results for patients suffering from PTSD.
Also, Jagruti Rehab offers both inpatient and outpatient care, assuring the family around-the-clock support if needed in their journey of recovery. For critical patients needing constant supervision, post traumatic stress disorder inpatient treatment care is prescribed where they stay at the Jagruti Rehab and experience wholesome healing. Alternatively, for less critical patients, PTSD treatment plans with more flexibility help them to recover while carrying on with their daily lives happily.
Latest Trends in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment
The latest advancement in technology is helping mental health professionals use new ideas in post traumatic stress disorder treatment. For example, now, based on the requirement, professionals are using virtual reality, games, and neurofeedback therapy on patients. However, the use of technology depends only on the needs of the patient. Our team focuses on lasting results and uses the latest trends in post traumatic stress disorder treatment if needed.
Success Rates and Effectiveness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment
CBT and EMDR are known to show very good results in controlling and managing trauma and are popular in post traumatic stress disorder treatment plans. However, using effective treatment plans doesn't guarantee good results. Results or rather improvement in a patient depends on several factors like stage of professional intervention, type of trauma, and the patient's response to the treatment. While a custom PTSD treatment plan combined with medication shows great results and shows improvement in symptoms significantly, the exact time to recover can be difficult to guess. However, with the help of the constant support from the team of Jagruti Rehab, noticeable improvements in PTSD patients are possible.