Treating PTSD

In a previous post I described the basics of the diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Now a little about treatment. 

I have found PTSD to be one of the disorders that responds best to treatment.  In the last 20 years (not a long time in the history of mental disorders) there has been a huge increase in the understanding of the problem and the ways of effectively treating it.  The International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies and The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation have supported much research and training and continue to do wonderful work.  The therapists that I work with have all participated in training from these organizations and I look forward to attending as many of their events as possible. 

We now expect the return of a large number of military veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in addition to the people in other occupations who have experienced terrible events.  Some of these people will have problems with PTSD.   In recent news reports, I have heard that there are not yet enough therapists trained to treat these people.  Recent Congressional testimony has addressed this ongoing problem in regard to the resources of the Veterans Affairs organization. 

If you know of someone who might have PTSD (or might be one), it would be a good idea to get it checked out.  There are resources out there, the internet has lots of links and pages for interested people. While some medications can be helpful in the treatment of PTSD, psychotherapy is the primary method of treatment.  Taking a pill won’t make it go away.  When selecting a therapist, ask if they have any specialized training and are aware of the recommended treatments of PTSD (the Standard of Care).  As always, be an informed consumer. 

Bill Bonacker