Understanding PTSD – Symptoms, Causes, and Pathways to Healing

An estimated 12 million adults in the U.S. experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder each year. This staggering statistic highlights how widespread and impactful PTSD is. PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Understanding PTSD is crucial for those affected, their loved ones, and society at large. Raising awareness can reduce stigma and encourage those suffering to seek help.

What is PTSD and Who Does It Affect?

• What is PTSD? PTSD is a complex psychological response to trauma that extends beyond typical stress reactions. It can cause significant emotional, cognitive, and physical distress. Just because you went through trauma though, doesn’t meant that you automatically have PTSD. 
• Who is at Risk? PTSD can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, or background. While military personnel are often associated with PTSD, it also impacts survivors of abuse, natural disasters, serious accidents, and other traumatic experiences. Even witnessing a traumatic experience can lead someone to develop symptoms of PTSD.
• Why Does PTSD Develop? Not everyone exposed to trauma develops PTSD. Factors like the severity of the event, personal resilience, and support systems play a role.When an individual feels stressed emotionally, their body releases hormones called cortisol and adrenaline. This is the body’s automatic way of preparing to respond to a threat, sometimes called the “fight, flight, or freeze response”. Individuals with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder continue to produce these hormones when they’re no longer in danger, which is thought to explain physical symptoms similar to symptoms of anxiety such as headaches, dizziness, chest pains, and stomach aches.

What Are the Common Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? 

• Intrusive Thoughts: Flashbacks, nightmares, and distressing memories that invade daily life. These come at unexpected moments and can severely disrupt your functioning. 
• Avoidance: Actively avoiding places, people, or activities that trigger traumatic memories. This could be reflected in avoiding internal or external reminders of the traumatic experience. Our body processes trauma with all its senses. Sometimes a smell, a color or even certain textures can trigger a person. 
• Mood and Cognitive Changes: Persistent negative beliefs, emotional numbness, feelings of guilt, shame, or hopelessness. Some individuals may feel guilty over the trauma that was inflicted to them. For some, they may feel unable to feel happy. 
• Hyperarousal: Increased irritability, hypervigilance, difficulty sleeping, and being easily startled. Whether is by a loud noise or being a light sleeper, individuals with PTSD may find themselves to be on high alert more often than not. 
• When Do Symptoms Appear? Symptoms may emerge immediately after trauma or months to years later, affecting daily functioning and relationships. If your symptoms appear within hours of your trauma but disappear in less than one month, you may be dealing with Acute Stress Disorder. However, if these symptoms last for over one month, it would be a good idea to get evaluated to rule out PTSD.

What Causes PTSD and What Are the Risk Factors? 

• Direct Trauma Exposure: Experiencing or witnessing violence, natural disasters, or life-threatening situations. Notice that it the trauma may not have happened to you but witnessing it can be enough to start experiencing some of the symptoms outlined above. 
• Personal and Biological Factors: Genetic predispositions, prior mental health conditions, and childhood trauma increase risk. Just because a family member has PTSD doens’t mean you are destined to develop it. However, biological can play a role on how individuals process their traumatic experiences. 
• Environmental and Social Factors: Lack of social support, ongoing stress, or multiple traumatic experiences heighten vulnerability to developing symptoms. 
• Why Are Some People More Vulnerable? A combination of biological, psychological, and social factors influences who develops Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

How is PTSD Diagnosed?

• Diagnostic Criteria: Mental health professionals use the DSM-5-TR along with assessments and other tools to identify PTSD through specific symptom patterns persisting for over a month.
• Assessment Tools: Structured interviews and questionnaires evaluate trauma history and symptom severity. The PCL-5 is also an assessments that therapists can use to help diagnose Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We recommend always discussing results with your mental health provider and avoiding self-diagnosing. 
• Why Early Diagnosis Matters: Prompt diagnosis facilitates timely intervention, reducing long-term suffering and improving outcomes. The earlier you are able to get a diagnosis, the earlier you can start trauma therapy. 
• Barriers to Diagnosis: There are many barriers that prevent individuals from seeking the help they need. Stigma, misinformation, and a lack of awareness often prevent individuals from seeking help on time. Others may feel like they do not want to carry a label associated with their traumatic experience.

What Treatment Options Are Available for PTSD? 

There are many approaches that can be utilized for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, we always recommend for individuals to seek help from trauma-trained professionals to avoid re-traumatization during the initial session. Evidenced-based practices have tested the test of time and research and are high recommended in this process.

• Psychotherapy Approaches:
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is an evidenced based practice that has been found to help reframe negative thought patterns surrounding experiences. When it comes to using a Cognitive Behavioral Approach to treating trauma, we always recommend finding a therapist that is specifically trained in Trauma-Focused CBT. 
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is our personal favorite appraoch to trauma therapy. This evidenced-based practice targets and processes traumatic memories from a somatic and emotional approach. EMDR has been proven effective to treat PTSD symptoms and ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences. Although the most widespread use of EMDR is for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental healthcare providers also use it in the treatment of other mental health conditions. 
  • Trauma-Focused Therapy: There are other approaches that provide specialized treatment addressing trauma’s emotional and cognitive impacts. It is important to see evidenced-based approaches in order to maximize a good prognosis in your recovery. 
• Medication:

It is important to note that we are not Psychiatrists; therefore, we are unable to prescribe or recommend psychotropic medication to any of our clients. We have found that a combination of multiple therapeutic approaches can be highly beneficial for our clients. Below is a list some other combination therapies that have been proven helpful to alleviate symptoms in conjunction with trauma-focused therapy.

• • Antidepressants: These kind of medications help alleviate mood-related symptoms caused by traumatic experiences. 
  • Anti-Anxiety Medication: Anti-Anxiety medication helps manage acute anxiety and sleep disturbances. Many times a taking anti-anxiety medication can assist an individual in stabilizing their anxiety prior to addressing their traumatic experiences. 
• Alternative and Complementary Therapies: Mindfulness, yoga, and art therapy offer additional coping mechanisms that can be implemented outside of therapy. We always recommend implementing grounding skills and the interventions discussing in your session for a maximum effect in your therapeutic journey. 
• The Importance of Comprehensive Care: A multidisciplinary approach combining therapy, medication, and social support is often most effective. The most important work will happen outside of therapy through having a good support system and a team of professionals that can assist you in managing your symptoms. 

How Can Loved Ones Support Someone with PTSD? 

• Providing Emotional Support: Listen without judgment and validate their experiences. You may not fully understand why someone feels the way they feel after their traumatic experience but providing a safe space for that person to express themselves can go great lengths. 
• Encouraging Treatment: Gently promote seeking professional help while respecting autonomy. You can help your loved one by doing the research to find a trauma-trained therapist but allow for your loved one to make the decision to attend therapy. 
• Educating Yourself: Understanding PTSD’s impact fosters empathy and effective communication. The ITSS website provides valuable information on PTSD and it’s treatment. 
• Practicing Patience: Recovery is a gradual process requiring time and consistent support. It is important to understand that recovery is not linear. Your loved one may have great days that may others think that all symptoms have subsided. However, it is important to learn how to best provide support when relapses happen. 

What is the Prognosis for PTSD Recovery? 

• Long-Term Outlook: Many people with PTSD improve significantly with proper treatment and support. They are able to engage in healthy relationships, improve occupational functionality and resume to a post-trauma life full of wellness.
• Factors Influencing Recovery:  There are several factors that influence recovery and having a good prognosis. Early intervention, personal resilience, and social networks enhance outcomes. The sooner after a trauma event happens a person seeks professional help, the higher the chances of this person experiencing a healthy recovery experience. Having a strong social network that promotes personal resilience can also be a positive influence in someone’s recovery. 
• Hope for Healing: With compassion and comprehensive care, individuals with PTSD can lead fulfilling lives. Maintaining hope has been found to be key in a successful recovery. Every day is different and the journey may be difficult but hoping for a better tomorrow can keep your spirits up.

Conclusion: Why Understanding PTSD Matters 

• Destigmatizing PTSD: Increasing awareness fosters empathy and encourages those struggling to seek help. We are still living in a world in which seeking therapy is not widely accepted. They key is to have open conversations and educate ourselves so together we can break the stigma of seeking help. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing PTSD symptoms, reach out to a mental health professional. Healing is possible, and no one needs to face PTSD alone.

Note: While I am a mental health professional, this information is not a substitute for a formal evaluation. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please reach out at (407) 906-5214 to schedule an appointment for tailored support.

Mental health is a complex and highly individualized matter, and what works for one person may not work for another. The best course of action for anyone dealing with mental health concerns is to schedule an appointment with us for a personalized assessment, diagnosis, and treatment options. Please remember that seeking help from a licensed mental health expert is a vital step in addressing mental health challenges.

If you’re in crisis or experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, contact emergency services or a crisis helpline immediately.

This blog post was written with the assistance of AI.