How to Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Frequently abbreviated to PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder is the clinical term used to describe the acute psychological and emotional injuries caused by an extremely traumatic event. Post-traumatic stress disorder usually results from surviving a life-threatening situation or witnessing extreme violence or the untimely death of a loved one.

Things You'll Need

• Antidepressants or anti-psychotic drugs (as prescribed)
• Psychotherapist

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Instructions

Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder With the Aid of Drugs

• 1

  Begin treatment as soon as possible following the traumatic event. Early treatment, known as critical incident stress management (CISM), is crucial in moderating and reducing the overall psychological and emotional harm caused by the situation.

• 2

  Combine individual, group or exposure-based psychotherapy with a prescribed program of drugs designed to relieve the symptoms of PTSD. Typically, antidepressants will be prescribed to treat acute cases of PTSD, including brand names such as Zoloft, Effexor, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Remeron and Prozac.

• 3

  Ask your psychotherapist about alternative drug therapies if you find you are still having difficulty with symptoms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits MDMA, better known as ecstasy, to be used in combination with clinical therapy under certain trial conditions.

• 4

  Ask your doctor about beta-blocking drugs such as Propranolol. This strategy aims to prevent the patient from creating new memories regarding the traumatic event. However, this treatment protocol is still in the experimental stages.

Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Naturally

• 5

  Talk it through with your therapist. While the severity of PTSD varies from case to case, patients who are able to confront the traumatic experiences in therapy sessions tend to heal more quickly and with a lower usage of psychotropic drugs.

• 6

  Use relationship-based therapies, in conjunction with your psychotherapist, to prevent PTSD from affecting your interpersonal relationships.

• 7

  Try Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an emerging non-medical treatment for PTSD. This cutting-edge approach involves the use of external sensory stimulation aimed at defeating the symptoms of PTSD by properly integrating and processing the memories of the traumatic event. However, you should be aware that this strategy is not without its critics.

• 8

  Continue to heal and manage your declining symptoms by enrolling in group therapy. This will decrease your sense of isolation and foster the healthy maintenance of interpersonal skills.