PTSD treatment

br Posttraumatic stress dis (PTSD ) is an anxiety dis that is known to develop after exposure to one or more terrifying events in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened . It is a harsh and continuing emotional reaction to an extreme psychological disturbance This stressor may involve someone 's actual death or a threat to the patient 's or someone else 's life , serious physical injury , or threat to physical and /or psychological integrity , to a degree that usual psychological defenses are incapable of coping

The diagnostic criteria for PTSD , per

the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Diss IV (Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR , is summarized as follows A . Exposure to a traumatic event

B . Continual re-experience

C . Constant avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma

D . Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (difficulty falling or staying asleep or hyperventilation

E . Period of symptoms more than 1 month

F . Considerable impairment in social , occupational , or other essential areas of functioning It is important to note that the exposure to this traumatic event consists of two parts , both of which must apply for a diagnosis of PTSD The first requires that "the person experienced , witnessed , or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury , or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others " The second requires that "the person 's response involved intense fear , helplessness , or horror " The DSM-IV-TR criterion differs substantially from the previous DSM-III-R stressor criterion , which specified the traumatic event should be of a type that would cause "significant symptoms of distress in almost anyone " and that the event was "outside the range of usual human experience " Since the introduction of DSM-IV , the number of possible PTSD traumas has increased and one study concluded that the increase has risen as high up to 50 The social stigma of PTSD may result in under-representation of the dis in military personnel , emergency service workers and in societies where the specific trauma-causing event is stigmatized such as a sexual assault . Because of the United States soldiers in combat in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , soldiers returning home have dealt with significant physical , emotional and relational disruptions . The United States Marine Corps has instituted programs to assist soldiers in re-adjusting to life (in particular marriage ) outside of the army

Many people with post traumatic stress dis can be helped with treatment . Therapy for anxiety diss often involves medication or specific forms of psychotherapy . Medications , although not cures , can be very effective at relieving anxiety symptoms . Today , thanks to research by scientists at NIMH and other research institutions , there are more medications available than ever before to treat anxiety diss . So if one drug is not successful , there are usually others to try . In addition , new medications to treat anxiety symptoms are under development

For most of the medications that are prescribed to treat anxiety diss , the doctor usually starts the patient off on a low dose and gradually increases it to the full dose . Every medication has side effects , but they usually become tolerated or diminish with time . If side effects become a difficulty , the doctor may advise the patient to stop taking the medication and to wait a week - or longer for certain drugs - before trying another one . When treatment is near an end , the doctor will decrease the dosage gradually

Research has also shown that behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be effective for treating many of the anxiety diss . Behavioral therapy focuses on changing specific actions and uses several techniques to decrease or stop unwanted behavior . For example , one technique trains patients in diaphragmatic breathing , a special breathing exercise involving slow , deep breaths to reduce anxiety . This is necessary because people who are anxious often hyperventilate , taking rapid shallow breaths that can trigger rapid heartbeat , lightheadedness , and other symptoms . Another technique - exposure therapy - gradually exposes patients to what frightens them and helps them cope with their fears

Like behavioral therapy , cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches patients to react differently to the situations and bodily sensations that trigger panic attacks and post traumatic stress dis . However patients also learn to understand how their thinking patterns contribute to their symptoms and how to change their thoughts so that symptoms are less likely to occur . This awareness of thinking patterns is combined with exposure and other behavioral techniques to help people confront their feared situations . For example , someone who becomes lightheaded during a panic attack and fears he is going to die can be helped with the following approach used in cognitive-behavioral therapy . The therapist asks him to spin in a circle until he becomes dizzy . When he becomes alarmed and starts thinking that he will die ' he learns to replace that thought with a more appropriate one , such as "It 's just a little dizziness - I can handle it

Works Cited

Treatment for PTSD (2008 April 8 ...