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People who go through a frightening or traumatic event can end up with PTSD. This condition causes them to experience repeated memories or flashbacks of the event.
PTSD can leave people feeling scared, cause them to avoid situations that trigger symptoms, and disrupt their daily life in many other ways.
At Otter House Wellness in North Carolina, we offer full treatment for PTSD and other mental health conditions. Learn more about post-traumatic stress disorder and how we treat it.
About PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a common mental health issue. It happens after people witness or experience a distressing situation or event, causing them to experience symptoms like fear, panic, anxiety, and negative thoughts or emotions.
Symptoms of PTSD are tied to the event the person experienced and can become so distressing that the person struggles at work, school, in relationships, and in other ways.
Treatment for PTSD can help a person learn to manage these symptoms, or even become symptom-free with time.
Here at Otter House Wellness, we treat people facing PTSD and any co-occurring conditions that can affect it, such as substance abuse and other mental illnesses.
What Causes PTSD to Form?
PTSD is directly caused by a stressful life situation or event. Research shows that up to 80% of people will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. PTSD will affect about 5 to 10% of people who experience a traumatic or life-changing event.
However, researchers haven’t been able to discover why some people respond to trauma differently than others. They believe the differences may be linked to hormonal and chemical brain changes.
Traumatic events work as risk factors that make you more likely to get PTSD.
Traumatic experiences/conditions that increase your risk for developing PTSD include:
- Car accidents
- Childhood trauma
- Life-threatening injuries
- Mental health problems
- Military combat/warfare
- Military trauma
- Natural disasters
- Sexual abuse/sexual assault
- Substance use disorders (SUD)
Symptoms of PTSD
Many people experience fear or worry after a difficult or frightening event. To be diagnosed as PTSD, symptoms have to last for at least 4 weeks and greatly impact your everyday life.
PTSD symptoms are grouped into four categories:
- Intrusive symptoms: repeated, negative memories; nightmares; flashbacks of the traumatic event
- Avoidance symptoms: going out of your way to avoid people, places, and situations, and other stressors that remind you of the event; avoiding thoughts and traumatic memories of the event; not talking about the event
- Thought/mood changes: negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions; memory loss; change in mood/perception of yourself or others; not being able to experience joy or other positive emotions; having suicidal thoughts
- Arousal/reactivity symptoms: having angry outbursts; irritability and anger; physical symptoms like recklessness or self-destruction; trouble sleeping; being easily startled
Types of PTSD
There are several types of PTSD, usually related to the experience you had that led to it. We treat all forms of PTSD at Otter House Wellness.
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute stress disorder is what happens immediately following a traumatic event. People experience symptoms of PTSD, but can’t be diagnosed with it unless the symptoms last for at least one month, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Birth Trauma
People may develop PTSD after a traumatic childbirth experience as well, also known as a birth injury. This condition is also called postnatal PTSD, and is a form of anxiety disorder.
Birth trauma PTSD may make women fearful of getting pregnant or giving birth again, and cause them to feel panicked, get easily upset or angry, miss sleep, and have other disruptive symptoms.
Complex PTSD (CPTSD)
Complex PTSD can happen to people who are victims of chronic trauma, like abuse, domestic violence, or war that takes place over months or years.
People with CPTSD have PTSD symptoms as well as issues with regulating emotions, relationship troubles, and with finding or regaining their sense of self.
Delayed Onset PTSD
Delayed-onset PTSD is the name given to PTSD that doesn’t happen right away. Instead, people with this condition see symptoms six months or more after going through a traumatic experience.
Researchers are unsure why delayed-onset PTSD happens, but believe it occurs more often in people with exposure to a lot of life stressors.
Dissociative PTSD (D-PTSD)
People with dissociative PTSD may dissociate from themselves and reality as a way to cope with the trauma. This condition is common in people who experienced trauma in childhood.
It meets all the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, but in D-PTSD people also experience:
- Depersonalization: feeling or being detached from yourself
- Derealization: feeling or being detached from others/the world around you
Secondary Trauma
People who are around others that have been traumatized may experience secondary trauma, also called secondary PTSD or compassion fatigue.
This condition is common in health care professionals treating people with PTSD and in first responders. In addition to PTSD symptoms, people with this condition may feel isolated, helpless, and confused.
Uncomplicated PTSD
While some types of PTSD are linked to multiple traumatic events, uncomplicated PTSD is linked to just one major event. This typically makes it the easiest type of PTSD to treat, as people with uncomplicated PTSD respond well to PTSD treatment and rarely need medication.
Complications of Untreated PTSD
Treating PTSD can help people manage their symptoms, learn their triggers, and find coping skills that work for them. With time, people may experience few to no symptoms.
However, PTSD that goes untreated can lead to a number of complications on a person’s health and well-being.
Potential complications of PTSD include:
- Higher risk of addiction, depression, and smoking
- Increased risk for certain health conditions, like heart disease, lung disease, liver disease, and cancer
- Being in a constant “fight or flight” mode due to ongoing adrenaline release
- Developing trust issues
- Trouble taking part in social activities
- Developing chronic pain
- Starting to self-harm
- Strain on relationships with friends, family members, and other loved ones
- Struggling to maintain a job due to trouble concentrating and mental health symptoms
- Lower engagement with children (in people who are parents and have PTSD)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment at Otter House Wellness
The main treatment for PTSD is psychotherapy, also called talk therapy or behavioral therapy, which is offered right here at Otter House Wellness.
We also offer mental health care that is trauma-focused and designed on a case-by-case basis with the services that will serve you best.
Outpatient Mental Health Recovery Programs
Our outpatient mental health programs provide intensive treatment that’s flexible and designed for your unique needs.
Mental health professionals work closely with you in therapy, support groups, counseling sessions, and to plan for future management of PTSD triggers.
We also provide medication management to ensure any medications you’re on are lending well to your recovery and not interfering with it.
All of our treatment options also offer dual diagnosis care, which means you could access care for any mental issues PTSD may have caused, like depression or anxiety disorders.
Medication Management
Medication management at Otter House Wellness for PTSD patients involves monitoring use of medication during treatment to:
- Avoid negative interactions
- Address side effects
- Make sure you get the right dosage and frequency
- Ensure the medication is working for you
The three most common types of medications for PTSD are:
- Antidepressants: can improve symptoms of depression, sleep troubles, and help you focus
- Anti-anxiety medications: such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIS),help treat anxiety disorder symptoms, like panic and fear
- Anti-psychotics: these medications are typically used for PTSD when others aren’t working
Therapy
Your healthcare provider at Otter House Wellness may suggest a range of therapies for PTSD to help you develop the tools and skills you need to manage it.
Here are some of the most common types of therapy for PTSD:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is a form of talk therapy that lets you focus on the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of PTSD. This allows you to see the symptoms and problems of the condition and find ways to change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors into healthier ones.
- Group therapy: In support groups, you can find social support with peers in a professionally led, group therapy session. Sharing about your traumatic experience in a group of people who have been in similar situations can be both encouraging and powerful.
- Trauma-focused CBT: Beyond regular CBT, this format allows you to understand how your body responds to stress and trauma. That way, you can start to reframe the way you react in the moment. It often involves exposure therapy, which slowly exposes you to distressing triggers over time to take away their power over you.
A newer form of therapy for PTSD is eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). In this type of therapy, your therapist will have you move your eyes back and forth in a specific way while recalling traumatic memories. It is highly effective at treating many symptoms of PTSD.
Disclaimer: Otter House Wellness does not offer EMDR at this time.
Find Individual Treatment for PTSD in North Carolina
If you or a family member are battling PTSD, take the first step in getting help and reclaiming your life.
Your experiences do not define you, and we can help you manage PTSD and enter mental health recovery.
Call Otter House Wellness today to learn more about our PTSD programs and how we help with mental health, substance abuse, and other mental conditions.
