How Is PTSD Diagnosed And Treated?
Post-traumatic stress disorder can have a major impact on a person’s quality of life and lead them to isolate from others or even turn to drinking or drugs in an attempt to self-medicate. You may be wondering: how is PTSD treated? This is a question that warrants another question: what causes PTSD, and how does someone deal with it? Though we often hear stories of war veterans returning from battle and experiencing episodes of reliving the incident, it is not just war. Rather, PTSD can come from any event — a robbery, a divorce, or a traumatic experience.
What Is a PTSD Episode?
War. Addiction. Trauma. These can be the fundamentals of a PTSD episode. When we refer to post-traumatic stress disorder, it is a mental health condition that arises after a person experiences something psychologically damaging. Though we have all heard of PTSD in terms of war veterans, it is not exclusive to battle. A PTSD episode occurs when a traumatic experience is relived within the mind of the person. It causes immense psychological damage, and it is important to seek help if you are experiencing PTSD. The mind often relives the event when the person experienced a traumatic or frightening life event, such as being a victim of an armed robbery. There will be triggers that cause the person to relive the incident. Imagine being robbed while pulling money out of an ATM. Commonly, the mind will begin to associate ATMs with danger. When asking how is PTSD treated, we have first to understand what a PTSD episode is in the context of mental health.
Imagine losing a loved one in a car accident. The human brain is wired to try to suppress traumatic experiences. In this scenario, the person will likely enter a state of static fear when driving. This is a psychological phenomenon: the human mind is hardwired to protect us from harm, and this is why PTSD needs to be addressed to heal.
How Is Someone Diagnosed with PTSD?
Symptoms of psychological harm must be experienced for more than one month, with four sets of symptoms:
- Intrusion symptoms, such as experiencing flashbacks of the events.
- Avoidance signs include avoiding driving after being in a car accident.
- Emotional symptoms, such as mood swings or drastic mood changes.
- Reactivity or mood instability.
If the person experiences these symptoms for more than one month, it is considered PTSD. However, everybody is different, and the criteria are based on the individual. How is PTSD treated? We will get to that shortly, but the foundation is a clinical evaluation. Though there is no direct way to diagnose PTSD, if the previous symptoms are experienced for more than one month and cause psychological or emotional distress, then they are diagnosed with PTSD. There are various levels of this disorder, and clinicians will look for the 17 symptoms of complex PTSD when someone has experienced prolonged and chronic trauma for weeks, months, or even years.
There is no “one way” to word it, but if a traumatic event is encountered, and any of the four items (intrusion, avoidance, emotional, and reactivity) occur for more than one month, this indicates that the person is experiencing PTSD. Note that not all of those symptoms will occur, and the severity will differ based on the person.
Why Is PTSD So Hard to Treat?
PTSD is difficult to treat because it is more than just a psychological issue. Rather, we have to dive into how the human brain works. Though we are a rather advanced species, we are still built on a foundation of fight-or-flight instinctual responses to real or perceived danger, and this is why it is so difficult to treat PTSD.
The brain is conditioned to keep us alive; it is in our nature. Thus, it is difficult to treat PTSD because, unlike mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety, medication and therapy can only go so far. Depression, as an example, is a chemical imbalance. PTSD, however, is difficult to treat because to cure it, you are fighting with a part of the brain that is primal; it will try and prevent the same trauma from occurring to preserve our survival, and this is often very difficult to cure with medication or traditional therapy. However, there is hope, and therapies like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and exposure therapy can help people learn to address their trauma and develop more effective coping skills.
How Effective Is PTSD Treatment?
PTSD treatment can be very effective when managed correctly. There are ways to relieve an individual from trauma, and this can come in many forms. One method is known as exposure therapy, where the patient is slowly introduced to the traumatic event under controlled conditions.
An example is someone who gets into a very bad car accident. The mind will associate cars with danger, but to achieve a result, the person in question must begin to detach the idea that every drive is going to end in harm. Exposure therapy controls the process, and as an example, the person could take baby steps by first learning to get into a vehicle and controlling their emotions. Next, they might drive down a less-crowded road, and slowly but surely, the idea of every car ride as dangerous is modified. This is one of many methods.
Other trauma therapies used in addiction treatment include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), where negative thought patterns are addressed and changed. Often, medications known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) can reduce anxiety symptoms, though to treat PTSD, a combination of approaches is typically utilized.
WhiteSands Treatment Can Help with PTSD and Addiction
There is a strong relationship between PTSD and substance abuse, and it is a bad combination. Often, someone who experiences trauma will try to self-medicate by abusing drugs or alcohol. There is more to it than just masking the event. Rather, because PTSD damages the brain’s natural chemical structure, it is common for imbalance to occur with key neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) that, when not treated properly, can lead to addiction.
Lastly, it is not uncommon for a person with PTSD to engage in risky behaviors. This is a concept that is not very detailed in known literature, but consider the fact that PTSD causes long-term effects if not treated. When someone experiences a devastating life event, the brain rewires itself. This causes changes in cognition, leading to a lack of logical thinking. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 44.6% of people who experience PTSD at some point in their lives also meet the criteria for an alcohol or substance use disorder. Having PTSD at any point was also linked to an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with a substance use disorder.
Addressing these issues earlier than later correlates with a better outcome. The longer you let yourself stew in damage or discomfort, the harder it will be to break the cycle. If you feel you need help treating PTSD and addiction, call us at 877-855-3470. The WhiteSands Treatment team can help address substance abuse while also treating co-occurring mental health disorders like PTSD. A better, brighter future is possible.
External Source
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — Treatment of Co-Occurring PTSD and Substance Use Disorder in VA
If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.
About the Author
Jackie has been involved in the substance abuse and addiction treatment sector for over five years and this is something that she is truly eager about. She has a passion for writing and continuously works to create informative pieces that not only educate and inform the public about the disease of addiction but also provide solutions for those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.
