Trauma/PTSS
PTSS (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) is a serious, potentially debilitating condition that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a natural disaster, serious accident, terrorist incident, sudden death of a loved one, war, violent personal assault such as rape, domestic violence, childhood sexual and physical abuse, or other life-threatening events. Most people who experience such events recover from them, but people with PTSS continue to be severely depressed and anxious for months or even years following the event. Women are twice as likely to develop posttraumatic stress disorder as men, and children can also develop it. PTSS often occurs with depression, substance abuse, or other anxiety disorders.
PTSS is diagnosed after a person experiences symptoms for at least one month following a traumatic event. However symptoms may not appear until several months or even years later. The disorder is characterized by three main types of symptoms:
- Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive, distressing recollections of the event, flashbacks, and nightmares.
- Emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma.
- Increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated and angered.
CBT, EMDR, and Exposure Therapy are three types of therapy that have been empirically validated to be highly effective in the treatment of PTSS.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are the most common of emotional disorders and affect 40 million Americans each year. These disorders are more than feelings of nervousness – they cause people to feel excessively frightened or distressed, and can push people into avoiding situations that trigger or worsen their symptoms. People with anxiety disorders are likely to suffer from depression, and they may also abuse alcohol and other drugs as they attempt to gain relief from their symptoms. Left untreated, school work, job performance, and personal relationships often suffer as these disorders dramatically reduce productivity and significantly diminish an individual’s quality of life. Unfortunately, these disorders can be difficult to recognize by the person suffering from them and the people around her/him. In addition, many who suffer from them are either too ashamed to seek help or they fail to realize that these disorders can be treated effectively.
The most common anxiety disorders are:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Panic Disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS)
- Phobias
Effective treatments for anxiety disorders include psychotherapy or counseling, medication, or a combination of these. In particular, scientific trials have found Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to be especially effective for treating anxiety disorders.
Panic Attacks
The core symptom of panic disorder, a panic attack, is an overwhelming combination of physical and psychological distress – a period of intense fear or discomfort that strikes suddenly, often in familiar places and where there is seemingly nothing threatening an individual. But when the attack comes, the person feels as if there is a real threat, causing the body to react accordingly with the ‘fight/flight/freeze’ response.
Panic attacks are usually classified as being part of panic disorder if they occur more than once and are accompanied by at least five of the following symptoms:
- Rapid heartbeat, pounding heart, or chest pain
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Shortness of breath, sensation of choking, smothering sensations
- Feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or faint
- Feeling unsteady
- Feeling unreal or disconnected
- Nausea or abdominal pain
- Chills or hot flashes
- Fear of losing control, “going crazy”, or dying
Two main treatment options are available for people with panic disorder: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication, or a combination of the two. Both of these treatments have good success rates and can be chosen based on the person’s preference after reviewing the pros and cons of each with a treatment provider.
Mood Disorders (Depression and Bipolar Disorder)
Mood disorders are mental disorders characterized by periods of depression, sometimes alternating with periods of elevated mood. While many people go through sad or elated moods from time to time, people with mood disorders suffer from severe or prolonged mood states that disrupt their daily functioning. The general types of mood disorders are major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and dysthymia.
Major depression is more serious than just feeling “sad” or “blue.” The symptoms of major depression may include:
- Loss of appetite
- A change in sleep patterns, such as not sleeping (insomnia) or sleeping too much
- Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or inappropriate guilt
- Fatigue
- Difficulty in concentrating or making decisions
- Overwhelming and intense feelings of sadness or grief
- Disturbed thinking.
- The person may also have physical symptoms such as stomachaches or headaches.
Bipolar depression or bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic depressive disorder) refers to a condition in which people experience two extremes in mood. They alternate between depression (the “low” mood) and mania or hypomania (the “high” mood).
Dysthymia is a recurrent or lengthy depression that may even last a lifetime. It is similar to major depressive disorder, but dysthymia is chronic, long-lasting, persistent, and milder than major depression.
The most common types of treatments for mood disorders are psychotherapy and medication. Several types of psychotherapy can help people with depression. For mild to moderate depression, psychotherapy may be the best treatment option. However, for major depression and for certain people the most effective treatment can be a combination of psychotherapy and medication, and for bipolar disorder medication is almost always required.