Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects many people who lived through horrifying experiences. If you develop PTSD symptoms, speak to Zoe Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine board-certified psychiatrist Oluwole Popoola, MD, FASAM, and his team in Allen, Texas. They offer medication management, psychotherapy, and other treatments that help you regain peace of mind. Call Zoe Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine today or request an in-person or telehealth appointment online to start your journey to freedom from PTSD.
What is PTSD?
PTSD is a reaction some people experience after being involved in or witnessing something life-threatening or severely distressing. It’s best known for affecting military personnel and others involved in armed conflicts, where it was first known as shell shock and then combat fatigue. However, PTSD doesn’t discriminate — it can affect anybody at any age. The Zoe Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine team treats PTSD patients aged 12 and over.
What might cause PTSD?
Experiences that could lead to PTSD include:
- Earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters
- Serious road traffic accidents (RTAs)
- Acts of terrorism
- Violent personal assault or rape
- Air, rail, and sea transportation disasters
- Sustaining severe injuries
- Being trapped in a collapsing or burning building
- Abduction and torture
These experiences might last for days, hours, or minutes. People who endure long-term trauma, such as ongoing spousal or child abuse, can develop complex (chronic) PTSD.
What symptoms does PTSD cause?
PTSD symptoms fall into four categories:
Re-experiencing symptoms
People with PTSD continually replay the event and find it impossible to divert their thoughts away for long. They often suffer from vivid nightmares too. Flashbacks occur when something you see, hear, or smell takes you back to your traumatic experience and makes you relive it.
Negativity
Anger, fear, guilt, depression, anxiety, and other negative feelings are common in people with PTSD. Some have survivor’s guilt, feeling it’s wrong that they survived when others died. Or they blame themselves for not preventing the event or not doing more to help afterward.
Arousal and reactivity
Arousal and reactivity symptoms include irritability, impatience, anger, recklessness, jumping at the slightest sound or touch, and self-destructive behaviors. You may have difficulty concentrating and sleeping. Many people with PTSD develop a substance misuse problem.
Avoidance
Avoidance behaviors aim to limit your exposure to anything that triggers intrusive thoughts or flashbacks. You may withdraw from your friends and family, particularly if you feel they can’t understand what you went through.
How is PTSD treated?
The Zoe Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine team treats PTSD with psychotherapy and medication. Talking with a skilled, compassionate therapist helps you process your trauma. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs boost neurotransmitter (brain chemical) levels in your brain’s mood center. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) could help patients who don’t improve with other treatments. Call Zoe Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine or request an appointment online today to begin your journey to recovery from PTSD
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Thanks for the positive feedback Reta! Stay tuned for more.