The majority of people who experience a traumatic event recover from the lingering effects and bad memories in some weeks or months. However, if the symptoms worsen or last for months or years and affect your daily functioning, you might be having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Receiving comprehensive treatment can be vital in reducing symptoms and enhancing function. If that is your case, the team of board-certified psychiatrists and psychologists at Uptown Psych provides effective treatment for post traumatic stress disorder in Chicago. To learn more about how you or someone close to you can deal with PTSD, call or schedule an appointment online today.
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What Is PTSD?
This refers to a mental health issue that can develop after a traumatic incidence such as a life-threatening situation like natural disasters, war, an incident of sexual assault, or automobile accidents. People often experience difficulties after such an incident, which could mean having nightmares, trouble sleeping, edginess, and bad memories. Normally, you should start recovering after some weeks or months. If the condition persists for many months or years, you might be having PTSD.
What Are The Risk Factors For PTSD?
The condition can occur in anyone. However, several factors dictate the likelihood of a person not getting or getting PTSD and how severe it might be. These include; age, stress, previous exposure to traumatic events, getting an injury during the incident, and the traumatic event’s duration and intensity. Most of these factors that cause PTSD are out of your control but getting the needed social support from people around might make it less likely to develop the condition.
What Are The Symptoms Of PTSD?
Normally, this mental condition manifests shortly after a traumatic incident. However, in rare cases, the symptoms might not show up until months or years later. Some of the common symptoms of PTSD include; nightmares and negative flashbacks, avoiding things that remind you of the traumatic incident, hyperarousal or overly alert on the lookout for danger, and negative feelings related to the event. Every person experiences these symptoms differently and might lead you to unhealthy ways such as alcohol and drug abuse when trying to cope with them. Hence, it is recommendable to seek help from a medical professional if the symptoms are causing you great distress to help you on how you can properly deal with them.
What Should You Expect During PTSD Treatment?
There are various effective treatment options to help you deal with your PTSD condition. At Uptown Psych, the available treatment options include medications, therapy, individualized cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness practices. The medications and therapeutic treatments effectively get rid of the PTSD symptoms or minimize them to a level where they do not interfere with your day-to-day life.
To sum up, the team of experienced therapists at Uptown Psych understand the sensitive nature of your PTSD disorder and uses a full mind-body approach to treat the effects and help you overcome the life challenges it brings. For comprehensive PTSD treatment in and around Chicago, call or schedule an appointment online today.