Home Conditions & Treatments Conditions & Treatments Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition caused by a traumatic event that requires professional treatment. Not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD. The key sign of PTSD is that the person has difficulty doing the day-to-day things that they had done prior to a traumatic event.

What Are the Symptoms of PTSD?

Symptoms of PTSD vary but can include:

Flashbacks
Distressing intrusive thoughts
Avoiding things that remind you of the trauma
Feeling jumpy
Difficulty concentrating
Shutting down emotionally
Lack of interest in things you enjoyed before

UR Medicine's Treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

How Is PTSD Diagnosed?

A mental health evaluation is used to review symptoms and past trauma. A diagnosis of PTSD means that someone is experiencing severe symptoms that began after a traumatic event. The symptoms last for more than a month and greatly influence how you function in daily life.

During a traumatic event, a person fears for their own safety or the safety of a loved one. It can be anything from a loss of a parent, to experiencing or witnessing an assault, to being in a car accident.

How Is PTSD Treated?

Your provider will create an individualized treatment plan to help you regain a sense of control over your life.

The type of treatment recommended will vary, but could include:

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive processing therapy
Written expressive therapy
Medications

Most therapists will focus on helping individuals separate themselves from the traumatic experience.

How Childhood Trauma Impacts Adults

UR Medicine experts share the ways in which trauma affects the brain and body, how PTSD and trauma are related, and helpful suggestions for healing.

Read the Full Article

What Sets Us Apart?

We provide care to patients with mental health conditions using a respectful, team-based approach. We integrate clinical care, teaching, and research into our treatment. We also work actively with the patient, their support system, and community care providers to develop the best plan possible for each individual.

The team’s leadership focuses on developing innovative systems for mental health care. As part of an academic medical center, we help educate the next generation of mental health professionals. We are a key training site for several multidisciplinary programs, including psychiatry fellowship programs and internship and post-doctorate training in clinical psychology.