Post traumatic stress disorder is a form of anxiety and stress. Most people will experience a traumatic episode in their lifetime but few will fully experience the development of PTSD.
PTSD can happen to anybody
When theories about PTSD were first developed, researcher thought that such effects of trauma could only come from veterans who had survived wars. Today, PTSD is understood to develop across a range of symptoms from all different kinds of experiences. For example, it is possible to develop symptoms of PTSD from just watching news coverage of a violent situation. Anybody can react to traumatic events in ways that are unhealthy for the brain. At the core, PTSD is the brain trying to protect itself from the reality of a traumatic situation.
PTSD can be a life threatening disorder when untreated
22 veterans commit suicide a day due to their untreated PTSD. Trauma causes an ongoing state of fight or flight which can wear someone down. Constantly coping with unwanted thoughts, depression, anxiety, flashbacks, feeling like there’s no hope of escaping the past, PTSD can become a fatal disorder. If you are struggling with PTSD and thoughts of suicide, there is hope. Please call and speak to someone at the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
PTSD is not the same as other mental health disorders
When people think of PTSD they might conjure up imagery of a war veteran talking to themselves, a bottle in hand, having vivid flashbacks, screaming out loud, and seeming “crazy”. This is a very extreme form of PTSD. The symptoms of PTSD can be severe especially when they go untreated. Other mental health disorders can develop as a result of PTSD and substance abuse happening at the same time. However, PTSD is not the same as multiple personality disorder, dissociative disorder, or schizophrenia. PTSD is its own disorder specifically having to do with the way someone copes with trauma.
PTSD can be healed
Specific therapy treatments can help reverse the effects of PTSD and bring someone suffering some peace. EMDR, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, is a proven treatment method for reducing the symptoms of PTSD. New exploration into virtual reality is proving to be an effective therapy tool for the treatment of PTSD as well.
Trauma doesn’t have to be ongoing. You can find a way to heal. Avalon By The Sea offers residential treatment programs for primary mental health diagnoses, like PTSD. As one of Southern California’s only certified primary mental health care providers, our programs are trusted because we provide trusted results. Call us now for an assessment and more information: 888-958-7511
