PTSD

Without treatment, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can last for years and take a devastating toll on your quality of life. The sooner you seek treatment with Asif Choudhary, MD, and the team at Advanced Psychiatry, the faster you can start to recover from the trauma. Then you can start enjoying your life without worrying about flashbacks and being constantly on edge. To get help for PTSD, call the office in Marietta, Georgia, or book an appointment online today.

What causes PTSD?

PTSD occurs after an event that threatens your safety or causes harm. Though most people directly experience the event, you can also get PTSD by witnessing it.

Traumatic events that commonly cause PTSD include:  

• Military duty
• Physical assault
• Sexual assault
• Emotional or physical abuse
• Automobile, plane, and train accidents
• Earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes
• Death of a loved one
• Gun violence
• Robberies
• Fires

The fear, distress, and other symptoms you experience after a traumatic event should slowly improve. If your symptoms don't get better within a month, you may have PTSD.

What symptoms occur due to PTSD?

PTSD symptoms belong to four broad categories:

Intrusion symptoms

Intrusion symptoms include nightmares and flashbacks that make you re-experience the trauma. Reliving the event usually causes extreme emotional distress.

Negative thoughts, feelings, and mood

Many people with PTSD become depressed, anxious, and avoid family and friends. It's also common to feel guilty, feeling like you're responsible even though you couldn't control or change the traumatic event.  

Arousal and reactivity symptoms

PTSD puts you on high alert and makes you hypervigilant, constantly watching for anything that could trigger a flashback. You may feel on edge, have angry outbursts, or have difficulty sleeping.

Avoidance symptoms

Avoidance means you purposefully avoid the people, places, and objects that remind you of the traumatic event, even changing your usual daily routine or staying away from important activities.

Do children have different PTSD symptoms?

Children and teens typically have the same PTSD symptoms as adults. However, they're more likely to feel guilty for not preventing the event, or they may want to avenge their trauma.

Young children under the age of six may have age-appropriate signs such as bedwetting (after learning to use the toilet) and being unusually clingy. They may also stop talking.

How is PTSD treated?

Several types of therapy effectively treat PTSD. Your therapist focuses on easing your anxiety and teaching you ways to deal with your symptoms. They also help you learn to identify and avoid the things that trigger flashbacks and negative emotions.

Therapy can also target the many areas of your life disrupted by PTSD and give you new coping skills, whether you need to overcome guilt or restore social skills and relationships.

Though there aren't medications for PTSD, Dr. Choudhary may prescribe psychiatric medications to help with symptoms like depression, anxiety, and anger.

You can overcome PTSD with expert care from Dr. Choudhary and the team at Advanced Psychiatry. To schedule an appointment, call the office or book online today.