According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are about 12 million people in the United States with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. In 2014, the federal government designated June as National PTSD Awareness Month to raise awareness of PTSD and the effectiveness of treatment. This blog post explores what PTSD is and the effective treatments available.

What is PTSD and What are the Symptoms?

According to the National Center for PTSD, “posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem that people can develop after going through or seeing a life-threatening event. It can also be caused by learning about the violent or accidental death or injury of a loved one.

“Because they involve matters of life and death, these events are different than stressful events like losing a job, getting a divorce, or even good things like buying a home or getting married. And they are different than the daily hassles we all experience – like a car breaking down or doing chores.”

Everyone with PTSD experiences it differently, but to receive a PTSD diagnosis, there must be four types of symptoms present:

1. Experiencing unwanted memories (Nightmares, flashbacks)
2. Avoiding reminders of the event (Avoiding crowds, keeping busy all the time)
3. Having negative thoughts and feelings (Feeling guilty, feeling that the world is dangerous)
4. Feeling on edge (Trouble sleeping, feeling jittery, being quick to anger)

Related Post: What Does “Trauma Informed Care” for Veterans Mean?

It’s important to note that post-traumatic stress (PTS) is a normal, temporary stress response to a traumatic event that usually resolves relatively quickly. PTSD is a clinically diagnosed disorder characterized by long-term, severe symptoms that disrupt daily life for more than a month.

What is the Treatment for PTSD?

Treatment for PTSD has proven to be effective and can help people reduce or eliminate symptoms, improve relationships, cope with life’s ups and downs, and find hope for the future.

The National Center for PTSD states that trauma-focused therapy is the best treatment. This therapy focuses on the memories of the trauma and its meaning. While this can sound scary, relief can occur in a matter of weeks or months and last after treatment is over.

Related Post: Backed by Research: Benefits of Mindfulness for Veterans with PTSD

Other therapies for PTSD:

• Cognitive processing therapy helps people see how trauma has changed their view of themselves and others while recognizing that the negative thoughts are caused by the trauma.
• Prolonged exposure therapy teaches people how to confront the memories, feelings, and situations they’ve avoided since the trauma.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which helps people process trauma by paying attention to certain movements or sounds while recalling the upsetting memory. Over time, a shift occurs in how memory is experienced.
• Written Exposure Therapy helps people find new ways of thinking about a traumatic event and what it means by writing about it and talking about what they’ve written.
• Present-Centered Therapy teaches people helpful problem-solving skills to cope with stressors related to the trauma.

Related Post: 4 Trauma-Informed Resources for Female Veterans

Help Raise PTSD Awareness

You can help us spread awareness of PTSD and that treatment is effective by sharing this blog post. If you or a veteran you know is experiencing symptoms of PTSD, contact us today to learn about the resources available.