Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop after a person experiences any number of traumatic events. These could include events such as a car accident, hurricane, mugging, military combat, sexual assault and countless other such events. They usually involve scenarios of near death, actual death, or perceived risk of death. Nearly everyone struggles immediately following such events and experience what is referred to as an acute stress reaction. Some recover in a few weeks. When symptoms persist for over a month and are interfering with functioning, then they are diagnosed with PTSD.
Symptoms are various but usually include some form of intrusive thoughts, images, nightmares or flashbacks. Also common are avoidant symptoms such as avoiding people, places, or events that remind you of the traumatic event. Many people struggle with sleep, concentration, edginess, irritability, hypervigilance, anxiety, anger, or guilt. The more often a person experiences trauma, such as combat veterans, week after week or abuse victims repeatedly being abused, the more likely they will end up with PTSD.
What Will Happen If I Don’t Treat my PTSD?
The long-term effects of PTSD are many and can be very impactful. Most people immediately struggle with cognitive impairment and suffer from a lack of concentration and focus. They are often distracted by intrusive symptoms. This can in turn begin to negatively affect work performance, which over time could put people at risk of being let go from their position. Physically, many with PTSD struggle with insomnia, headaches, GI distress, muscle tension, and loss of appetite. Many times, relationships are also affected as people withdraw, isolate, and struggle with trust, control, and safety issues. All these struggles set the stage for depression, anxiety disorders, and put people at high risk for substance abuse or addiction as they try to cope and self-medicate. In effect the long-term effects compound and create more problems.
How Do I Fix PTSD?
The good news is that even if you wait months, years, or decades, PTSD can be resolved even years after the fact. Most people treat PTSD with medication, therapy, or both. Medication is good at treating symptoms quickly and restoring general functioning for most people. Antidepressants often help with sleep, appetite, energy, concentration, and mood swings. Therapy, especially CBT and EMDR, are particularly good at helping process events, make sense of things, and aid closure so people can move forward with their lives.
If you are interested in working through your past trauma, feel free to contact IPC to schedule an appointment to meet with one of our psychiatrists or therapists. Please call us now at 763-416-4167, or request an appointment on our website: WWW.IPC-MN.COM so we can sit down with you and complete a thorough assessment and help you develop a plan of action that will work for you. Life is too short to be unhappy. Find the peace of mind you deserve.
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