What causes PTSD?
PTSD may be triggered by something that:
- Happened to you
- Happened to someone close to you
- You saw
Examples include:
- Serious accidents, such as car or train wrecks
- Natural disasters, such as floods or earthquakes
- Manmade tragedies, such as bombings, plane crashes, a shooting
- Violent personal attacks, such as a mugging, rape, torture, being held captive, or kidnapping
- Military combat
Abuse in childhood or adulthood
Who is at risk for PTSD?
There are many risk factors for having PTSD. Recognizing and addressing them can help prevent PTSD, when possible. These risk factors include lack of family or social support resources.
- Repeated exposure to traumatic circumstances
- Personal history of trauma or of an acute stress or anxiety disorder
- Family history of mental health disorders
- Personality traits of vulnerability and a lack of resilience
- History of Childhood trauma
How is PTSD diagnosed? Not every person who goes through trauma gets PTSD or has symptoms at all. PTSD is diagnosed if your symptoms last more than one month. Symptoms often begin within three months of the trauma. But they can also start months or years later. How long this illness lasts varies. Some people recover within six months. Others have symptoms that last much longer.
How is PTSD treated? Treatment will depend on your symptoms, age, and general health. It will also depend on how severe the condition is. You may think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. In fact, taking action to make your life better takes a lot of courage. Talking about trauma can be hard. But it can make a big difference. The main treatment for PTSD is counseling. You’ll work with a trained therapist to learn new ways to cope with your experiences. Medicine may also be prescribed to help with anxiety, depression, or sleep.
Types of counseling
Counseling is done in a safe environment, one-on-one or group. Group therapy is often done with other people who have been through similar events. PTSD is often treated with one or more of the following forms of counseling. Talk with your healthcare provider about your options so you can decide on a counseling format that works for you.
Next steps
Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider:
- Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen.
- Before your visit, write down questions you want answered.
- Bring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your healthcare provider tells you.
- At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your healthcare provider gives you.
- Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. Also know what the side effects are.
- Ask if your condition can be treated in other ways.
- Know why a test or procedure is recommended and what the results could mean.
- Know what to expect if you do not take the medicine or have the test or procedure.
