PTSD Treatment in the social aspect

1. Welcome
Syed Abul Farah

2. Treatment for PTSD
If you are still experiencing problems after two weeks, a doctor or mental health
professional may discuss starting treatment. Effective treatments are available. Most
involve psychological treatment such as counselling, but medication can also be helpful.
Generally, it’s best to start with psychological treatment rather than use medication as
the first and only solution to the problem.
The cornerstone of treatment for PTSD involves confronting the traumatic memory and
working through thoughts and beliefs associated with the experience. Trauma-focussed
treatments can:
reduce PTSD symptoms
lessen anxiety and depression
improve a person’s quality of life
be effective for people who have experienced prolonged or repeated traumatic events,
but treatment may be required for a longer period.
Syed Abul Farah

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Treatment for children and teenagers with PTSD
For children and teenagers who are struggling to recover after a traumatic event, the
recommended treatment is trauma-focussed cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This
treatment involves:
learning about the type of traumatic event experienced (e.g. how common it is) and
common reactions to trauma
teaching how to relax and manage anxiety
helping to create a coherent story of the traumatic event, and correct any unhelpful
beliefs about the event such as self-blame
gradual exposure to trauma-related objects or situations that are feared or avoided
helping to get back into everyday activities.

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What Are the Treatments for PTSD?
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a type of anxiety disorder, can happen after a
deeply threatening or scary event. Even if you weren't directly involved, the shock of
what happened can be so great that you have a hard time living a normal life.
People with PTSD can have insomnia, flashbacks, low self-esteem, and a lot of painful
or unpleasant emotions. You might constantly relive the event -- or lose your memory of
it altogether.
When you have PTSD, it might feel like you'll never get your life back. But it can be
treated. Short- and long-term psychotherapy and medications can work very well. Often,
the two kinds of treatment are more effective together.
Six Common Treatment for PTSD:
Therapy
Cognitive Processing Therapy
Prolonged Exposure Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Stress Inoculation Training
Medications

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Assessment
Before having treatment for PTSD, a detailed assessment of symptoms will be carried
out to ensure treatment is tailored to individual needs (Affected person needs). This may
be carried out by a GP (General Practitionar) or specialist.
PTSD affected person can see a GP to start on this process, or GP can refer for
assessment to a psychological therapy service. PTSD persons are likely to be offered
treatment if they have had symptoms of PTSD for more than 4 weeks or symptoms are
severe.

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1. Therapy
PTSD therapy has three main goals:
•Improve your symptoms
•Teach you skills to deal with it
•Restore your self-esteem
Most PTSD therapies fall under the umbrella of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The
idea is to change the thought patterns that are disturbing your life. This might happen
through talking about your trauma or concentrating on where your fears come from.
Depending on your situation, group or family therapy might be a good choice for you
instead of individual sessions.

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2. Cognitive Processing Therapy
CPT is a 12-week course of treatment, with weekly sessions of 60-90 minutes.
At first, you'll talk about the traumatic event with your therapist and how your thoughts
related to it have affected your life. Then you'll write in detail about what happened. This
process helps you examine how you think about your trauma and figure out new ways to
live with it.
For example, maybe you've been blaming yourself for something. Your therapist will help
you take into account all the things that were beyond your control, so you can move
forward, understanding and accepting that, deep down, it wasn't your fault, despite
things you did or didn't do.

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3. Prolonged Exposure Therapy
If you've been avoiding things that remind you of the traumatic event, PE will help you
confront them. It involves eight to 15 sessions, usually 90 minutes each.
Early on in treatment, your therapist will teach you breathing techniques to ease your
anxiety when you think about what happened. Later, you'll make a list of the things
you've been avoiding and learn how to face them, one by one. In another session, you'll
recount the traumatic experience to your therapist, then go home and listen to a
recording of yourself.
Doing this as "homework" over time may help ease your symptoms.

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4. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
With EMDR, you might not have to tell your therapist about your experience. Instead,
you concentrate on it while you watch or listen to something they're doing -- maybe
moving a hand, flashing a light, or making a sound.
The goal is to be able to think about something positive while you remember your trauma.
It takes about 3 months of weekly sessions.

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5. Stress Inoculation Training
SIT is a type of CBT. You can do it by yourself or in a group. You won't have to go into
detail about what happened. The focus is more on changing how you deal with the stress
from the event.
You might learn massage and breathing techniques and other ways to stop negative
thoughts by relaxing your mind and body. After about 3 months, you should have the
skills to release the added stress from your life.

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6. Medications
The brains of people with PTSD process "threats" differently, in part because the
balance of chemicals called neurotransmitters is out of whack. They have an easily
triggered "fight or flight" response, which is what makes you jumpy and on-edge.
Constantly trying to shut that down could lead to feeling emotionally cold and removed.
Medications help you stop thinking about and reacting to what happened, including
having nightmares and flashbacks. They can also help you have a more positive outlook
on life and feel more "normal" again.

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Before your appointment, make a list of:
 Any symptoms you've been experiencing, and for how long.
 Key personal information, especially events or experiences — even in your distant
past — that have made you feel intense fear, helplessness or horror. It will help your
doctor to know if there are memories you can't directly access without feeling an
overwhelming need to push them out of your mind.
 Things you have stopped doing or are avoiding because of your stress.
 Your medical information, including other physical or mental health conditions with
which you've been diagnosed. Also include any medications or supplements you're
taking, and the dosages.
 Questions to ask so that you can make the most of your appointment.

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Some basic questions to ask your doctor or mental
health professional may include:
What do you believe is causing my symptoms?
Are there any other possible causes?
How will you determine my diagnosis?
Is my condition likely temporary or long term?
What treatments do you recommend for this disorder?
I have other health problems. How best can I manage these together with PTSD?
How soon do you expect my symptoms to improve?
Does PTSD increase my risk of other mental health problems?
Do you recommend any changes at home, work or school to encourage recovery?
Would it help my recovery to tell my teachers or co-workers about my diagnosis?
Are there any printed materials on PTSD that I can have? What websites do you
recommend?