How Is Ptsd Treated
Medications
There are a number of antidepressants that are approved for treating PTSD. These medications have the added benefit of lifting your depression and anxiety symptoms.
The four prominently prescribed ones are:
- Narrative exposure therapy
Prolonged exposure therapy is considered the first line of talk therapy defense for PTSD. Its a type of CBT that involves exposing the patient to difficult feelings or situations related to the initial trauma. By doing this in a careful way under a trained therapist, the patient learns to turn off the fear response when those triggers come up.
A New Option: TMS
There is an additional treatment option available that can replace or be used in conjunction with medication for both depression and PTSD: transcranial magnetic stimulation . The FDA has approvedTMS to treat depression it is not yet approved for PTSD and may not be covered by insurance.
The VA has started to use transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat PTSD in war veterans. The non-invasive treatment works by reconnecting neural pathways that become underactive in people with depression and PTSD. TMS has none of the side effects associated with antidepressant medications, and its highly effective. Psychiatrists such as those using it at the VA have seen great success with it. If youve tried medications and therapy but still have symptoms, TMS is a great option.
Is Ptsd Different From Depression
Yes, PTSD and depression are different.
The first distinction is the cause. A traumatic event triggers PTSD while a variety of causes are linked to depression.
Secondly, some PTSD symptoms, such as extreme fear, are unique to people diagnosed with PTSD and arent common in people diagnosed only with depression.
The challenge is identifying whether your depressive symptoms stem from your PTSD or if it is a separate issue altogether. This is determined on a case-by-case basis and depends on the severity of your symptoms.
How Common Is Depression Following Trauma
In any given year, almost 1 in 10 adult Americans has some type of depression . Depression often occurs after trauma. For example, a survey of survivors from the Oklahoma City bombing showed that 23% had depression after the bombing. This was compared to 13% who had depression before the bombing . PTSD and depression are often seen together. Results from a large national survey showed that depression is nearly 3 to 5 times more likely in those with PTSD than those without PTSD .
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Other Effects Of Ptsd
If you are experiencing symptoms of PTSD, you might also find that you have difficulty with some everyday aspects of your life, such as:
- looking after yourself
- remembering things and making decisions
- coping with change
- simply enjoying your leisure time.
If you drive you may have to tell the DVLA that you have PTSD. For more information on your right to drive, including when and how to contact the DVLA, see our legal pages on .
My behaviour changed and became erratic. I would alternate from wanting to shut myself away and not see or talk to anyone to going out to parties in the middle of the week and staying out late.
Risk Factors Associated With Ptsd/mdd Comorbidity
The co-occurrence of psychiatric diagnoses is the rule rather than an exception, and the high rate has been attributed to fundamental underlying dimensions or latent factors, termed internalizing versus externalizing.25 The internalizing dimension is characterized by high levels of negative affectivity and low levels of positive affectivity while the externalizing dimension is characterized by high levels of negative affectivity and low levels of constraint . In general, the internalizing dimension represents a latent or underlying trait vulnerability that explains cooccurrence among mood and anxiety disorders, while the externalizing dimension underlies substance use disorders, conduct disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. PTSD is a unique disorder in that it has been shown to be related to both internalizing and externalizing dimensions in large samples of people with a diverse range of psychiatric diagnoses,26 although see ref 27.
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What Happens To The Brain During Depression
Mental health conditions like depression can change your brain chemistry. If you want to have a better grasp on your mental state and what kind of treatment you need, you must understand how your brain reacts to depression.
In this overview, we cover key health information on the effects of depression on your brain and how these translate to changes in both mental and physical health.
Treatment Can Counter Emotional Tolls
Although persistent anxiety and depression are highly treatable with medications, cognitive behavioral therapy and talk therapy, without treatment these conditions tend to get worse. According to Dr. John Frownfelter, treatment for any condition works better when doctors understand the pressures patients face that affect their behavior and result in clinical harm.
Dr. Frownfelter is an internist and chief medical officer of a start-up called Jvion. The organization uses artificial intelligence to identify not just medical factors but psychological, social and behavioral ones as well that can impact the effectiveness of treatment on patients health. Its aim is to foster more holistic approaches to treatment that address the whole patient, body and mind combined.
The analyses used by Jvion, a Hindi word meaning life-giving, could alert a doctor when underlying depression might be hindering the effectiveness of prescribed treatments for another condition. For example, patients being treated for diabetes who are feeling hopeless may fail to improve because they take their prescribed medication only sporadically and dont follow a proper diet, Dr. Frownfelter said.
Some changes to medical care during the pandemic have greatly increased patient access to depression and anxiety treatment. The expansion of telehealth has enabled patients to access treatment by psychotherapists who may be as far as a continent away.
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Talk With Someone You Trust
After a traumatic event, or trauma, it’s normal to think, act and feel differently than usual. Most people will start to feel better after a few weeks. If your symptoms still bother you after a month, are very upsetting, and disrupt your daily life, it’s time to consider getting treatment. Whether or not you have PTSD, if thoughts and feelings from the trauma are bothering you, treatment can help.
Take a first step by talking with:
- Your family doctor or primary care provider
- A mental health professional, such as a therapist or counselor
- Someone who works at your local VA facility or Vet Center, if you are a Veteran
- A close friend or family member who can support you while finding help
- A clergy member
Another option is for you to fill out a PTSD screening questionnaire .
Where To Find Help
here to help now
You are not alone. Help may be one phone call or text away. If you feel suicidal, alone, or overwhelmed, call 911 or contact one of these 24-hour hotlines:
- US Veterans Crisis Line: Call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, or text 838255
- Crisis Text Line: Text CONNECT to 741741
If you believe you have either PTSD or depression, make an appointment to see a healthcare provider. They can recommend or refer you to a mental health specialist for evaluation and treatment.
If youre a veteran and need help, call the Veteran Center Call Center hotline at 1-877-927-8387. At this number, youll get to talk with another combat veteran. Family members can also speak to other family members of vets with PTSD and depression.
find a counselor in your area
- United Way Helpline : Call 1-800-233-4357
- Mental Health America : Call 800-237-TALK or text MHA to 741741
If you dont have a doctor or mental health specialist you see regularly in your area, call your local hospitals patient outreach office.
They can help you find a doctor or provider near you that treats the conditions youre seeking to cover.
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Physical Effects Of Depression
The physical effects of depression impact the brain, heart and other parts of the body. Research shows that depression negatively affects the brain. A decrease in brain volume is one of the most disturbing side effects of depression. Fortunately, antidepressants appear to be able to reverse this brain volume loss.3
Depression and pain are also inter-related. You can read more about the pain of depression here.
Long-term depression is also known to negatively impact the heart. Depression causes inappropriate release of adrenaline which, over time, damages the cardiovascular system. An increase in artery and blood vessel stress are further health effects of depression. This can increase the risk of blood clots and heart attack.4
The effects of depression cause an overall increase in mortality, where those with depression may die 25 years sooner than the average person. This is thought to be due to both the physical and social side effects of depression.
What To Do If The Va Refuses To Give You Benefits For Ptsd
If the VA determines that you dont have service-related PTSD, you can submit an IME and have it reviewed by the VA for further consideration. When you get an IME, your doctor will re-evaluate your condition and write a report that can convince the VA to change their ruling.
If an independent examination by your doctor does not change the VAs decision to deny you benefits, you can appeal with the help of an attorney. Our team has decades of experience helping Veterans get the benefits they deserve. Were a team built around Veterans helping other Veterans, and we specialize in making appeals for changes to PTSD rulings by the VA.
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How Often Do Correctional Officers Get Attacked
If we focus only on assaults and violence, correctional officers are injured by assaults and violent acts at a rate of 254 per 10,000 full-time employees. … … If we focus only on assaults and violence, correctional officers are injured by assaults and violent acts at a rate of 254 per 10,000 full-time employees.
Can You Have Both Post
Can you have post-traumatic stress disorder and be depressed at the same time? You bet! Research shows, in fact, that around half of all PTSD sufferers also have major depressive disorder meaning this combo isn’t just possible, but in fact extremely common. Some even suggest that combined depression and PTSD should be recognized as a subtype of post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Treatment For Ptsd And Depression
Both depression and PTSD benefit from therapy and medication, with both conditions responding well to forms of each.
Depression is well managed with a combination of medication and therapy, and also tends to respond well to lifestyle changes like better eating and exercise habits, and lower drinking and drug use frequencies.
Trauma, meanwhile, responds to therapy systems like cognitive behavioral therapy , which can grant people with mood disorders and psychiatric disorders a system for reclaiming control of their mental health, thoughts and emotions.
With CBT, you learn to notice negative patterns of thought as theyre happening and rebuild your thought patterns and emotional responses to support your own goals of control, balance and strength.
All of these treatment options are best accessed, understood and taken under the guidance and observation of a healthcare professional.
Talking to a professional about these problems is where you should always start.
Our information is backed by research, but your individual treatment needs may reflect more nuance than we can cover in a few hundred words which is why starting with individual care and support as soon as possible is crucial to your success.
Ptsd Vs Depression: A Symptom Refresher
Some of the possible symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder definitely overlap.
Someone who is diagnosed with PTSD will, according to the fifth edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders :
While PTSD is a strictly trauma-related anxiety disorder, anyone, of any age and in any circumstances, can become clinically depressed. To be diagnosed, they’ll have at least five of these symptoms over a minimum period of two weeks, and they’ll greatly interfere with the person’s life:
- A depressed mood feeling sad, hopeless, empty, down, helpless, tearful, or in young people, also irritable.
- Loss of interest in activities that previously seemed meaningful.
- Significant spontaneous weight loss or gain, a result of an appetite decreased or increase.
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much.
- A physical slowing down or speeding up that can be observed by other people, clinically known as psychomotor retardation or agitation.
- Fatigue or loss of energy.
- Feelings of worthlessness and inappropriate guilt also, of course, common in PTSD.
- Trouble concentrating and indecisiveness again, also seen in PTSD.
- Repeated thoughts of death and suicide. While not a feature of PTSD, as such, it isn’t uncommon for people who have suffered trauma to feel like their lives won’t last long, something called a “foreshortened future”.
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Can You Get Va Disability For Depression As Secondary To Ptsd Or Is It The Other Way Around
While a previous depression diagnosis can make a veteran more susceptible to PTSD, some kind of traumatic event must occur to trigger PTSD. Research does not suggest that depression directly causes PTSD.
In this video, one of our VA disability lawyers talks about the VA Rating Formula for Mental Disorders and Disabilities like PTSD.
Ptsd And Depression: What Is The Connection
Medically reviewed by Kristin Hall, FNP
As mental health care has advanced over the last few decades, experts have generally come to realize that the lines between mood disorders can be awfully fuzzy. Anxiety disorders and depression can both make you tired. PTSD and depression can both lead to panic attacks. And with arguably the most overlap of all are PTSD and depression.
If youre someone struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, or one of your loved ones is doing just that, you probably have a lot of questions. Not least on that list, were guessing, is probably how much can one person take?
Its true that both depression and PTSD can be draining, exhausting mental health conditions, and that treatment for both can likewise take a very long time. But theres a silver lining to it all many treatments can have a double impact if employed properly.
If youre hoping for some relief from PTSD and depression, we may be able to help you in your search. First, however, weve got to cover some basics of how these two conditions are connected.
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What Is Correctional Fatigue
The field of corrections has some very unique stressors which can ultimately build up in staff over time to cause corrections fatigue. … Desert Waters defines corrections fatigue as âcumulative negative changes of corrections staff’s personality, health and functioning, and of the corrections workplace cultureâ.
How Are The Conditions Treated
While depression and PTSD can leave those affected and their close family and friends feeling helpless and alone, there is hope. Depression and PTSD share common treatment methods including medications, service animals, and psychotherapy. If you believe you or a loved one is suffering from depression or PTSD, see a doctor immediately to discuss treatment options.
A doctor may prescribe antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and sleep aids to help treat the symptoms of both PTSD and depression. Participating in psychotherapy, or talk therapy, in addition to taking medications can help those affected learn how to manage emotions and the symptoms. For those with PTSD, exposure therapy and cognitive restructuring has proven successful in helping individuals control their fears and make sense of traumatic memories.
The use of service dogs to help combat feelings of anxiety, depression and fear that are associated with PTSD and depression is also common. Studies have found that petting an animal can relieve stress and service dogs are professionally trained to assist individuals during panic attacks, night terrors, and protect them in crowded rooms or distract them from maladaptive behaviors.
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How Does Therapy Help
Trauma therapy gives kids a way to safely share their feelings, tell their story, and get support.
In therapy, kids learn coping and calming skills to help them deal with anxiety they feel after a trauma. This makes it easier to talk about what theyve been through.
Through therapy, kids learn to adjust some of their thoughts about the trauma. They learn to let go of any guilt or shame about what happened to them. Slowly, they learn to face things they used to avoid.
Therapy helps children gain courage and confidence. Kids use their strengths to cope.
Is It Worth Being A Correctional Officer
A career as a corrections officer can provide you with a stable career and decent salary with benefits, but it also carries some risks. The BLS states that corrections officers can be injured during confrontations with inmates and they have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses out of all occupations.
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Avoidance And Emotional Numbing
Trying to avoid being reminded of the traumatic event is another key symptom of PTSD.
This usually means avoiding certain people or places that remind you of the trauma, or avoiding talking to anyone about your experience.
Many people with PTSD try to push memories of the event out of their mind, often distracting themselves with work or hobbies.
Some people attempt to deal with their feelings by trying not to feel anything at all. This is known as emotional numbing.
This can lead to the person becoming isolated and withdrawn, and they may also give up pursuing activities they used to enjoy.