How is ptsd treated

Some psychotherapies do not focus on the traumatic event, but do help you process your reactions to the trauma and manage symptoms related to PTSD. The research behind these treatments is not as strong as the research supporting trauma-focused psychotherapies listed above. However, these psychotherapies may be a good option if you are not interested in trauma-focused psychotherapy, or if it is not available:.

There may be other options available such as certain complementary and integrative medicine approaches like yoga, meditation, or acupuncture , biological treatments like hyperbaric oxygen therapy or transcranial magnetic stimulation , or online treatment programs.

These treatments do not have strong research behind them at this time, but you and your doctor can discuss the benefits and risks of these options to determine whether or not they are right for you. No one treatment is right for everyone. You can discuss treatment options with your health care provider, and determine which ones are best for you based on the benefits, risks, and side effects of each treatment. Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of seeking treatment because of concerns with stigma or worries about having to talk about difficult life experiences.

This technique utilizes bilateral sensory input such as side-to-side eye movements to help you process difficult memories, thoughts, and emotions related to your trauma.

As described by the EMDR Institute, "Unlike talk therapy, the insights clients gain in EMDR therapy result not so much from clinician interpretation but from the client's own accelerated intellectual and emotional processes. Cognitive behavioral therapy CBT is a style of talk-therapy that focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT targets current symptoms and problems, usually lasting 12 to 16 sessions and can be done in an individual or group format.

Together with your therapist, you will work to identify distortions or unhelpful patterns in your thoughts and feelings related to the trauma. The goal of CBT is to help you return to a place where you regain hope, feel a greater sense of control in your thoughts and behaviors, as well as help you to reduce escape or avoidance behaviors.

Yoga has been shown to offer wonderful healing benefit to a variety of populations, including those with mental health conditions, and is widely known for the benefit of stress relief. For people with PTSD, trauma-sensitive yoga can be of great benefit. David Emerson, the practitioner who first coined the term trauma-sensitive yoga, worked closely on a funded research project with trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk. Their research showed that this particular style of yoga helped to significantly reduce PTSD symptoms in their participants.

As compared to other styles of yoga, trauma-sensitive yoga focuses on more gentle movements and less hands-on adjustment. This method of healing is a Chinese medicine energy practice that involves inserting thin needles into certain areas of the body to help prevent or relieve health issues.

Approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs as an approved complementary and alternative medicine treatment for PTSD, studies have shown acupuncture to be safe and cost-effective. A variety of additional treatments show promise in treating PTSD.

Exposure therapy has been shown effective in the treatment of many anxiety-related disorders, as it helps you approach aspects of your trauma with less fear, working to become desensitized to the impact of your experience. Virtual reality exposure therapy VRET offers the technology for you to be gradually exposed to your traumatic situation while working closely with a trained clinician.

The visual situations are manipulated by the clinician and talked through together, continuing to expose you to the traumatic event and, over time, helping the event to have less and less emotional impact. As one combat veteran participant stated, "You go over the story over and over again. I got so bored with my own story that it no longer elicited a reaction. Originally approved by the FDA for anesthesia, ketamine infusion is emerging as an option for treatment-resistant mental health conditions, including PTSD.

Ketamine therapy is administered intravenously at a very low dose, a dose that makes it safe for in-office treatment without producing major side effects. Research has shown that just one infusion treatment for approximately 40 minutes can lead to rapid reduction of PTSD symptoms.

Ketamine infusion therapy is often conducted in a series of treatments over a few weeks. Infusions are given only by trained medical professionals approved to administer this form of treatment. Research is ongoing on how to best apply this treatment over time. MDMA is commonly known as the recreational drug ecstasy. During MDMA-assisted therapy sessions, traumatic memories are reportedly experienced as less threatening as you process the impact of your traumatic experience with your therapist.

In MDMA-assisted therapy, the style is non-directive as the therapist offers you a calm space to process your experiences without fear of judgment or pressure.

With the help of the MDMA, it is thought that you can access your traumatic memories without feeling imminent threat or fear, making it easier to process your thoughts and emotions related to the event. Research examining the risks and benefits of this alternative treatment is ongoing.

Meetings and Events Details about upcoming events — including meetings, conferences, workshops, lectures, webinars, and chats — sponsored by the NIMH. Multimedia NIMH videos and podcasts featuring science news, lecture series, meetings, seminars, and special events. Press Resources Information about NIMH, research results, summaries of scientific meetings, and mental health resources. Innovation Speaker Series NIMH hosts an annual lecture series dedicated to innovation, invention, and scientific discovery.

Gordon, M. Advisory Boards and Groups Read about the boards and groups that advise and provide guidance to the Institute. Share Page. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Overview Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. Avoidance symptoms include: Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the traumatic experience Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event Things that remind a person of the traumatic event can trigger avoidance symptoms.

Cognition and mood symptoms include: Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event Negative thoughts about oneself or the world Distorted feelings like guilt or blame Loss of interest in enjoyable activities Cognition and mood symptoms can begin or worsen after the traumatic event, but are not due to injury or substance use.

Do children react differently than adults? Symptoms sometimes seen in very young children less than 6 years old , these symptoms can include: Wetting the bed after having learned to use the toilet Forgetting how to or being unable to talk Acting out the scary event during playtime Being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult Older children and teens are more likely to show symptoms similar to those seen in adults. Why do some people develop PTSD and other people do not?

Medications The most studied type of medication for treating PTSD are antidepressants, which may help control PTSD symptoms such as sadness, worry, anger, and feeling numb inside. CBT can include: Exposure therapy. This helps people face and control their fear. It gradually exposes them to the trauma they experienced in a safe way.

It uses imagining, writing, or visiting the place where the event happened. The therapist uses these tools to help people with PTSD cope with their feelings. Cognitive restructuring. This helps people make sense of the bad memories. Sometimes people remember the event differently than how it happened. They may feel guilt or shame about something that is not their fault. The therapist helps people with PTSD look at what happened in a realistic way.

Based on this general goal, different types of therapy may: Teach about trauma and its effects Use relaxation and anger-control skills Provide tips for better sleep, diet, and exercise habits Help people identify and deal with guilt, shame, and other feelings about the event Focus on changing how people react to their PTSD symptoms. For example, therapy helps people face reminders of the trauma. Beyond Treatment: How can I help myself?

To help yourself while in treatment: Talk with your doctor about treatment options Engage in mild physical activity or exercise to help reduce stress Set realistic goals for yourself Break up large tasks into small ones, set some priorities, and do what you can as you can Try to spend time with other people, and confide in a trusted friend or relative. Tell others about things that may trigger symptoms.

Expect your symptoms to improve gradually, not immediately Identify and seek out comforting situations, places, and people Caring for yourself and others is especially important when large numbers of people are exposed to traumatic events such as natural disasters, accidents, and violent acts.

Next Steps for PTSD Research In the last decade, progress in research on the mental and biological foundations of PTSD has lead scientists to focus on better understanding the underlying causes of why people experience a range of reactions to trauma. NIMH-funded researchers are exploring trauma patients in acute care settings to better understand the changes that occur in individuals whose symptoms improve naturally.

Other research is looking at how fear memories are affected by learning, changes in the body, or even sleep. Research on preventing the development of PTSD soon after trauma exposure is also under way. It's sometimes recommended because 2 in every 3 people who develop problems after a traumatic experience get better within a few weeks without treatment.

A combination of a psychological therapy and medicine may be recommended if you have severe or persistent PTSD. Cognitive behavioural therapy CBT is a type of therapy that aims to help you manage problems by changing how you think and act. Trauma-focused CBT uses a range of psychological techniques to help you come to terms with the traumatic event. For example, your therapist may ask you to face your traumatic memories by describing aspects of your experience in detail.

During this process, your therapist helps you cope with any distress you feel while identifying any beliefs you have about the experience that may be unhelpful. Your therapist can help you gain control of your fear and distress by reviewing with you any conclusions you have drawn about your experience for example, feeling you're to blame for what happened, or fear that it may happen again. You may also be encouraged to gradually restart any activities you have avoided since your experience, such as driving a car if you had an accident.

You'll usually have 8 to 12 weekly sessions of trauma-focused CBT, although fewer may be needed. Sessions usually last for around 60 to 90 minutes.