PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a problem for anyone, and anything you find exceptionally shocking or frightening could initiate it. If you experience flashbacks and other PTSD symptoms, talk to Emily Russ, PA-C, at Prevail Behavioral Health in Appleton, Wisconsin. Medications and talk therapies can help you process your trauma and leave it behind. Call Prevail Behavioral Health or complete the online booking form today to free yourself from PTSD and restore calm to your life.

What is PTSD?

PTSD sometimes develops in people who witness or experience horrific or life-threatening events. Traumatic experiences can profoundly affect anyone involved, but the distress usually reduces in the weeks and months following the event as your brain processes your ordeal. If you have PTSD, your mind becomes trapped by the experience and can’t heal properly.

Some of the more well-known events that can cause PTSD include:

• Personal assault or rape
• Home invasions
• Terrorist attacks
• Mass shootings
• Severe car/rail/air accidents
• Fires
• Floods
• Hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes
• Military combat
• Living or working in a war zone

Long-term trauma can lead to a chronic form of PTSD. Years of torture, captivity, or physical, sexual, and emotional abuse can lead to this condition, known as complex PTSD.

What symptoms might I suffer from with PTSD?

PTSD symptoms are many and varied but fit loosely into four categories:

Intrusive thoughts

Flashbacks are the symptom that most define PTSD. These distressing experiences happen when you hear, see, or smell something that reminds you so deeply of your trauma you relive it. You feel like you’re there again, even though you’re really somewhere safe. Flashbacks can be deeply disturbing and create avoidance symptoms.

Avoidance

To prevent flashbacks and reduce other PTSD symptoms, people often avoid going out or risking anything that could be a trigger. You might stay away from people and places even when they’re important to you and refuse to talk about your experience because it brings back the horror of the ordeal.

Negative feelings

People with PTSD often develop depression, anxiety, and anger management problems. You might be so depressed and miserable that you can’t get out of bed or so overwhelmed by anxiety that you can’t leave your home.

People often feel rage toward whoever they hold responsible for the trauma, and survivor’s guilt — feeling ashamed of living when others didn’t — is a common problem with PTSD.

Heightened reactivity

The anxiety and fear persisting after trauma mean your body is constantly alert for danger, so you likely jump if you hear an unexpected sound or someone touches you.

What can I do to get over PTSD?

If you develop PTSD symptoms, Prevail Behavioral Health offers comprehensive care delivered with the utmost compassion.

Most patients find combining medication like antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs with psychotherapy — talking to a trusted, knowledgeable counselor — produces the best results.

Call Prevail Behavioral Health today to benefit from expert PTSD treatment or schedule a consultation using the online booking feature.