New York Residents: Do You Suspect That You Or Your Loved One Suffers From PTSD?

Find Out The Symptoms And Treatments for PTSD in New York

PTSD, or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, is an anxiety disorder that affects nearly 10% of all Americans at some point during their lives.

Nearly 30% of all people who have experienced some sort of extreme trauma will develop PTSD. As you can see, it is more common than many people realize, and it affects more than just military personnel. Anyone who has gone through a terrible, traumatizing, or life-threatening experience is at risk for PTSD.

Do I Have PTSD?I Need Help
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What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

PTSD can be recognized primarily by three main symptoms that are always found together in people suffering from this illness:

  • Overly vigilant for danger to the point of extreme reactions
  • Flashbacks or nightmares that cause the sufferer to replay the trauma many times
  • Staying away from anyone or anything that could remind the PTSD sufferer of their trauma.

How is PTSD Diagnosed?

It can be difficult to accurately identify posttraumatic stress disorder, and a mental or medical health professional in New York must take a patient’s complete personal and medical history into consideration.

Some of the identifiers they will look for include:

  • What was the traumatic event this patient experienced?
  • What was the patient’s reaction to this trauma?
  • How is this trauma affecting the daily life of the patient?
  • Is the patient experiencing flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, or nightmares?
  • If a child: how does the effects of the trauma come out in play or in their behavior?
  • Has the patient learned to cope with the memories of their trauma in unhealthy ways, such as detachment, blocking memories, or avoiding people?

If you think you suffer from PTSD, you have made a great first step in identifying this problem. PTSD cannot be managed or treated in isolation, and it is natural to want to avoid dealing with this issue. No matter how painful, embarrassing, or difficult it may be, please seek help from a medical or mental health professional.

If you are unsure where to turn next, the PTSD Alliance has many resources to help you find compassionate help at a local provider in New York.

What Treatments Are Available In New York?

After a proper PTSD diagnosis from a medical professional, you may be prescribed an antidepressant such as Zoloft or Paxil, which will modify the chemistry of your brain to help you deal with the effects of PTSD. Make sure you understand the side effects of these medications.

But medication is only a small part of your healing. Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is truly the key to working through your PTSD on your journey to healing. Find a therapist whom you trust and who is trained to work with patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Some of the various therapies that you may experience include: group therapy, exposure therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), or stress inoculation training.

Rest assured, healing from PTSD is possible with the right therapy and a dedication to your treatment plan.