Some Common PTSD-Related Questions
What are some signs of posttraumatic stress disorder?
Posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a reaction to a traumatic experience that may involve the risk of harm to yourself or another person. Traumas can include childhood abuse, sexual assault, motor vehicle accidents, life threatening illness, death of a loved one, war, terrorism, natural disaster (e.g., fire, earthquake, hurricane, tornado), or other incidents that do not fall into easy categories. Over time, the experience may lead to a pattern of difficulties that can be grouped into three categories:
- Re-experiencing problems include frequent or intrusive thoughts, memories, or images of the trauma, nightmares, and struggling with reminders of the trauma.
- Avoidance problems involve staying away from things that remind you of the trauma—including activities you used to enjoy—a loss of interest in things, feeling “numb” or unengaged, and feeling cut off from other people.
- Arousal issues include difficulty sleeping, feeling angry and irritable, being easily startled, and always being on guard.
If you are interested, I can assess for PTSD in the first session or two in order to determine if you may benefit from trauma-focused treatment.
If I’ve experienced a trauma, does that mean I have PTSD?
Maybe but maybe not. Many people experience symptoms common to PTSD for days after a traumatic experience, but these may resolve naturally. Problems that persist for up to one month following the trauma may be what we call Acute Stress Disorder. Sometimes these symptoms can turn into PTSD. It should be noted that a PTSD diagnosis requires that an individual meet certain criteria and cut-off points; however, many people have problems that fall just short of an official PTSD diagnosis yet may still be quite distressed and could benefit from treatment.
How can treatment help me if I’ve already been traumatized?
Psychotherapy cannot take away the terrible things that have happened to you. However, it can help to reduce any interference from past traumas and help you learn to engage your life more effectively.
Do you assess PTSD for legal cases?
No, I do not. Any sort of assessment will be for the purposes of determining treatment only. If you'd like, I can help with providing referrals for these kind of services if you call me.
