What causes PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs after experiencing a traumatic event. You or your child may be directly involved in the event, witness it, or hear about the trauma after it happens to a friend or family member. Any of these scenarios can result in PTSD.
The events that most often cause PTSD include:
- Military duty
- Gun violence
- Physical assault
- Sexual assault
- Severe accident
- Natural or man-made disasters
PTSD often develops after a family member or friend dies.
What symptoms develop due to PTSD?
Symptoms may appear shortly after the event that caused your PTSD, or there may be a delay of months or years. General anxiety and frightening thoughts and memories are some of the most common symptoms, but patients with PTSD may also:
- Have flashbacks or dreams about the event
- Experience hypersensitive emotions
- Feel on edge or angry
- Be easily startled
- Become depressed
- Blame themselves for the event
- Avoid people and places that remind them of the event
Flashbacks and dreams may be so vivid that you or your child relive the traumatic event, which can trigger anxiety and physical symptoms such as shortness of breath and a rapid heartbeat.
How do you treat PTSD?
After your provider conducts a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation at Summit Health and Wellness Center, they will develop a treatment plan based on your symptoms and overall health. Your treatment may include:
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
Cameron Hollingsworth, LPC LMFT, is one of the few EMDR providers in Oklahoma. EMDR helps PTSD patients resolve traumatic memories and emotional problems through the desensitization and reprocessing of traumatic memories.
Medication management
The team at Summit Health and Wellness Center may prescribe one of several medications that target specific symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and recurring nightmares.
Trauma-focused therapy
Trauma-focused therapy consists of treatment modalities that address how trauma affects your mental, behavioral, emotional, and physical well-being. During therapy, you learn skills such as relaxation, cognitive coping, emotional processing, and desensitization. The team and Summit Health and Wellness Center will work with you individually to help address your needs depending on your specific experiences with trauma.
Medical marijuana evaluation
Dr. Smart offers medical marijuana evaluations for adults, the required first step to qualify for a license to use medical marijuana products. After Dr. Smart determines if you qualify, you proceed to apply for your license online.
If you or your child struggles with PTSD or the effects of trauma, exceptional care is available at Summit Health and Wellness Center — call the office or schedule an appointment online today.
