PTSD - what can be done to help ?

So how do you treat PTSD – what can be done to help. Unfortunately this is a very individual thing to the patient. There are many forms of medication which are out there to help although sometimes they may have a more detrimental effect. For example with some varieties you cannot drive while taking them which could have a resulting knock on effect to your ability to work.

Sometimes I think medication is not always the best approach either. As a society we seem to think that tablets can solve everything however I believe that with issues such as PTSD all the medication will do is treat the symptoms not the actual problem. It’s almost like sweeping your problems under the carpet. Out of sight doesn’t always mean out of mind.

There are many new techniques out there which help the patient to actually process the traumatic incident with the help of a psychologist such as EMDR. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and involves stimulating other senses to help encourage the brain to process the traumatic memories. Techniques like these help with problematic areas such as flashbacks and nightmares which medication do not have an effect on. It is not until you can process the traumatic event that you can deal with the consequences of the incident such as your injuries and their impact on lifestyle.

A lot of the time how well a person overcomes PTSD is dependant on the individual. Many will never fully overcome their demons but all will be able to find techniques and ways of coping to gain control and as 'normal' a lifestyle as possible.