Question 1

What Causes PTSD?

Accepted Answer

PTSD is an acronym for post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a mental disorder that can effect people in the aftermath of experiencing trauma.

Most often, PTSD is thought of as an illness that affects soldiers who have been in active combat.

However, anyone who witnessed or was involved in a traumatic event can acquire PTSD.

In addition to experiencing active combat in a war zone, traumatic experiences can also include car accidents, weather tragedies (such as floods and tornados), house fires, living through a global pandemic, physical or sexual abuse, or witnessing a violent crime.

Often, those with PTSD experience flashbacks of the traumatic event, and are unable to stop intrusive thoughts related to the event.

They may blame themselves for the event or be unable to deal with feelings of guilt, distress, shame, or anger.

Concerned you may have PTSD?

Answer a few questions in our online PTSD evaluation to get personalized feedback. Talking with a therapist or counselor can help you recover.

Check out the Monarch Directory by SimplePractice to see licensed mental health professionals who specialize in clients with PTSD.

You can also browse therapists who specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), as this therapeutic approach has been shown to help PTSD recovery.

Question 2

What happens if PTSD is left untreated?

Accepted Answer

When left untreated, many people with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) struggle with:

Job loss
Drug abuse
Alcoholism
Relationship problems
Other psychiatric disorders

Relationship problems plague people with PTSD because they are often fearful, angry, paranoid, and distrustful of friends and family, which makes them difficult to be around.

In addition, frightening outbursts and abusive behaviors are more common in those who have been diagnosed with this illness. This can result in the person with PTSD becoming isolated and lonely, leading to depression and other complications.

Research has also found that untreated Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is linked to poorer overall health outcomes.

One of the most distressing parts of untreated PTSD is the increased risk in suicide attempts. It is estimated that between 10% and 30% of people with untreated PTSD may attempt suicide, which is one of the higher rates among mental illnesses.

Question 3

Can PTSD ever be cured?

Accepted Answer

PTSD, like most other mental illnesses, will never go away completely. Those with PTSD will enter a recovery or remission period, but the chance of a relapse is always there.

For most people, therapy, medication, or a combination of both is extremely helpful in reducing symptoms and improving the patient's functioning, but these treatments are not a cure. Therapy can help those with PTSD learn to better manage their distressing thoughts and the resulting behaviors, and many can go on to lead happy and productive lives.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, also known as EMDR is a fairly new and effective treatment option that uses side-to-side eye movements to help people process distressing memories and trauma.

In addition, people with PTSD can learn to practice self-care and self-compassion, understanding that their trauma is real and their feelings are valid, but their mental health is their responsibility.

Think you might have PTSD?

Take our PTSD quiz to see if you may be suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder.

Question 4

What Are the 5 Stages of PTSD?

Accepted Answer

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has five stages, including:

Emergency stage - during this stage, your anxiety levels may be extremely high, and you may find yourself having an intense reaction to everything. This is because your body's flight or flight system is kicking in.
Numbing stage - during this stage, your body is trying to instinctively protect you from more emotional distress. You may feel like your emotions are totally shut off, making it difficult to deal with the trauma you experienced.
Intrusive repetitive stage - during this stage, you may try to process your emotions, but will often experience flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety. For some, this is the most damaging stage of the illness, but recovery is possible.
Transition stage - during this stage, you will begin your PTSD recovery journey. You will learn to understand and accept the trauma that happened to you, and start to heal.
Integration stage - during this stage, you'll work through your recovery and learn to integrate your new coping skills into your daily life, so you can deal with any remaining symptoms as they arise.

How is PTSD treated?

Survivors and witnesses of traumatic events, such as combat veterans or victims of abuse, often struggle to overcome distressing flashbacks and anxious feelings.

PTSD may develop as a result of these life-altering experiences.

The good news is that this condition is treatable.

A frightening experience, such as a harrowing military operation, earthquake, tornado, automobile accident, abduction, rape, or any other near-death experience may trigger PTSD.

Whether an individual was personally impacted by an incident, saw someone else suffer, or saw a mass catastrophe, the tragedy can leave an enduring legacy. Recurrent memories, nightmares, persistent worried thoughts, and troubling sensations are all signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

They may also have flashbacks, which are out-of-body experiences that last anywhere from seconds to hours and in which the individual seems to relive the horrific incident. Intense anxiety and feelings of losing control may return, especially around anniversaries of the incident.

PTSD symptoms are often spontaneous, occurring for no apparent reason. When the symptoms are severe and persistent, the person is generally unable to lead a regular life and may not be able to recover without professional help.

Concerned you may have PTSD?

Answer a few questions in our online PTSD evaluation to get personalized feedback. Talking with a therapist or counselor can help you recover.

Check out the Monarch Directory by SimplePractice to see licensed mental health professionals who specialize in clients with PTSD.

You can also browse therapists who specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), as this therapeutic approach has been shown to help PTSD recovery.

What Causes PTSD?

Concerned you may have PTSD?

Related questions about PTSD

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