What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder occurs after you experience or witness a traumatic event. This condition is associated with stressful feelings related to a past event, such as nightmares and flashbacks. PTSD is often treatable with the right coping techniques and support. Individuals living with PTSD may also experience intense anxiety as a symptom.

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

The symptoms and signs of PTSD will usually occur within one month of the stressful event taking place and might include any of the following:

Frequent, recurring memories of the event
Flashbacks to the event that feel like reliving it
Dreams or nightmares related to the event
Emotional reactions and severe anxiety in response to reminders of the event

What causes PTSD?

PTSD happens due to a stressful experience and usually relates to severe injury, near-death experiences, or sexual abuse. It isn't entirely understood why people develop PTSD. It could be related to any combination of the following: stressful experiences, previous mental health disorders, family history of mental health issues, personality factors, and how the brain regulates chemicals and hormones. Risk factors that make individuals more likely to develop PTSD include traumatic experiences occurring early in life, working at a job that increases exposure to stressful situations, past challenges with mental health, and excessive drug and alcohol usage.

How do you treat PTSD?

What is post-traumatic stress disorder’s treatment methodology, and can you ever fully recover from PTSD? Treatment for PTSD aims to help patients cope with symptoms and treat any other conditions that coincide with it, such as anxiety and depression. Psychotherapy techniques such as cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) have been found to help individuals who have PTSD. Doctors may also prescribe medications to help treat PTSD, such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. Antidepressants that are commonly used for PTSD include SSRIs and Zoloft. Some patients find relief for severe symptoms by using anti-anxiety medications, but since these medications are often abused, it is only recommended that they are used for a short period.

The Power of PTSD Online Support Groups

If you’re living with PTSD, you may feel like no one could possibly understand what you’ve been through. Sometimes even our closest friends and family can’t help us. This sense of carrying the burden alone can feel incredibly lonely. But you’re not alone.

When you join a PTSD support forum, you’ll find support from thousands of members who may not share your experience — but they understand trauma. While professional talk therapy sessions and short-term medications are a major part of any PTSD treatment program, it helps to have a strong support network of people who can relate and swap stories.

Recovering from a traumatic event takes time, but with a PTSD online support group, you’ll have valuable peer support to guide you on your path to healing. Join The Mighty’s forum for open discussions about PTSD, helpful tips for managing PTSD symptoms, and the latest news and research.

Find Your Online Support Network

Despite how much they may want to, oftentimes our loved ones simply can’t understand what we're going through or offer the help we need. When paired with professional treatment for PTSD, online support groups can provide us with what we need in the form of helpful tips and advice, powerful stories that inspire hope, and more.

When you join The Mighty’s PTSD support group, you become a part of something much larger than yourself. Not only can you learn from the stories and experience of others — others can learn from yours.

Speak up, listen, and feel heard in The Mighty’s PTSD online support group. No matter what you’ve been through, we’re here to help you cope. Join the movement today.

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My Perspective on EMDR Therapy… can you relate?

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