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 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?
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.

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