Drug Rehab Los Angeles
You are here: Home / Issues Treated / Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any traumatic event. As an effect of psychological trauma, PTSD is less frequent and more enduring than the more commonly seen acute stress response.

Symptoms for PTSD include re-experiencing the original trauma through horrible dreams, bad memories, avoidance of situations closely associated with the trauma, difficulty falling asleep, anger, and hyper vigilance- which can include racing heart, paranoia, fear, anxiety, and visual and/or auditory hallucinations. Clearly all of these are strong triggers for substance abuse; people with PTSD often seek to self medicate, and, more often than not, addiction becomes yet another problem for the PTSD sufferer to cope with.

ONE80CENTER offers a comprehensive array of services to support our clients with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Our services include:

  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which is one of the most effective and rapid methods for healing PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as shown by extensive scientific research studies.
  • Providing resources to help individuals suffering from PTSD to stop using drugs or alcohol.
  • Educating our clients and their loved ones on the signs and symptoms of PTSD.
  • Helping our clients create a healthy lifestyle with nutrition, exercise and a proper amount of sleep.
  • Assisting our clients with medication management and encouraging medication compliance.
  • Guiding our clients to the best treatment providers for PTSD.

For further information on the causes, symptoms, and medications, please continue reading.

Post-traumatic stress disorder treatment often includes both medication and psychotherapy. Combining these treatments can help improve your symptoms and teach you skills to cope better with the traumatic event — and life beyond it.

Medications

Several types of medications can help symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder improve.

In some cases, clients may be prescribed a short course of antipsychotics to relieve severe anxiety and related problems, such as difficulty sleeping or emotional outbursts.

Some clients find antidepressant medications can help with the symptoms of PTSD. Antidepressants may help improve sleep problems and improve your concentration. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) are FDA-approved for the treatment of PTSD.

If your symptoms include insomnia or recurrent nightmares, some physicians may prescribe a drug called prazosin (Minipress), which blocks the brain’s response to an adrenaline-like brain chemical called norepinephrine. Although this drug is not specifically approved for the treatment of PTSD, prazosin may reduce or suppress nightmares in many people with PTSD.

Several types of therapy may be used to treat both children and adults with post-traumatic stress disorder. You may try more than one, or combine types, before finding the right fit for you. You may also try individual therapy, group therapy or both. Group therapy can offer a way to connect to others going through similar experiences.

Some types of therapy used in PTSD treatment include:

Cognitive therapy. This type of talk therapy helps you recognize the ways of thinking (cognitive patterns) that are keeping you stuck — for example, negative or inaccurate ways of perceiving normal situations.

In PTSD treatment, cognitive therapy often is used along with a behavioral therapy called exposure therapy.

Exposure therapy. This behavioral therapy technique helps you safely face the very thing that you find frightening, so that you can learn to cope with it effectively. A new approach to exposure therapy uses “virtual reality” programs that allow you to re-enter the setting in which you experienced trauma — for example, a “Virtual Iraq” program.

EMDR. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy that was developed to resolve symptoms resulting from disturbing and unresolved life experiences. It uses a structured approach to help the brain improve where other forms of therapy are not enough.

Acupuncture. Acupuncture may be helpful in improving the symptoms of PTSD. More research is being conducted to fully understand the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for PTSD.

Information for Veterans:

The number of veterans dealing with PTSD is staggering. A 2008 study found that one in five vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan experience symptoms of PTSD or major depression. Sadly the study also found that many of these service members do not seek treatment for psychological illnesses because they fear it will harm their careers. Untreated, PTSD and depression can lead to cascading problems, such as drug use, marital problems, unemployment and even suicide.

Veterans may wish to call the veterans hotline for help with PTSD at 1-800-273-8255 (Español: 1-888-628-9454).