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Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

© Cheryl Foote

As mentioned in last week's article, there are some professionals who do not believe that PTSD is an illness at all.  However, the symptoms of PTSD are very real, and are also listed in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses 4th revision).  Personally I tend to lean in the direction of not classifying PTSD as a disorder of it's own, simply because I feel that it is the symptoms which come as a result of the Trauma(s) over a period of time, are of more concern.

It is my feeling that it is the symptoms which must be addressed in the treatment of PTSD, rather than PTSD as a whole.  There seems to be a trend emerging in Psychiatry today where the Psychiatrist is reluctant to put a label on a patient i.e. "You have PTSD".  I have noticed through speaking with other women that they are diagnosed with a "symptom" as a result of "Trauma".  What one woman experiences as the result of her Trauma(s) can be entirely different from the next woman and that she experiences.  There will be similarities of the symptoms each women experiences, however we will all have some combination of the above symptoms.  Some women may have more severe symptoms and more of them, while other women may have fewer symptoms.

The 3 following items are required in the treatment of PTSD (or the symptoms if you feel as I do) Being assessed by Physician/Psychiatrist/Therapist, Medication therapy, and Psychotherapy

Assessment

There are a number of ways in which an assessment may be done.

- Some women will see their Physician/Psychiatrist/Psychologist over a period of time.
- An admission to a psychiatric ward if the symptoms are severe, and her safety is at risk i.e. suicidal thoughts or attempts.
- Psychiatric day program

There are a number of tests these professionals may use to make their assessment.   If you have been admitted to a psychiatric facility, there will most likely be a full team who will assess certain areas of your life such as, occupational, dietary, spiritual, physical, along with the psychological.

Medication

Your physician will most likely prescribe medication(s) to address many of the symptoms, and although many women do find relief initially, this is not always the case.   It is important to understand that there is no magic mixture of medications.   Sometimes it will take a long time to try different types to see if they will work for you.  These medications can be broken down into the following categories which the Physician may choose to use in your case:

Anti depressants
Anti Psychotics
Mood Stabilizers

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