PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) causes anxiety, flashbacks, and challenging emotions and behaviors in children, teens, and adults who experience a traumatic event. At NYC Psychiatric Associates, in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, people of all ages receive compassionate care and advanced treatments, helping them deal with trauma, manage symptoms, and safely return to a full life unhindered by PTSD. You can schedule an appointment by calling the office today or reaching out online.

What is PTSD?

PTSD begins after you experience or witness an upsetting, frightening, or life-threatening event. Everyone experiences feelings like anxiety after a trauma, but then they feel better after a few weeks. You may have PTSD if your symptoms last a month or longer. 

The traumatic events that frequently cause PTSD include:

• Combat duty
• Physical assault or abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Sexual violence
• Gun violence
• Robberies or home invasions
• Accidents (car, plane, boat, etc.)
• Death of a loved one
• Natural disasters (hurricanes, tornados, and others)

PTSD can occur after one traumatic event or develop after you endure months or years of emotional or physical abuse.

What symptoms does PTSD cause?

Anxiety is a common symptom in people with PTSD. However, you’ll have a wide range of symptoms from four categories:

Avoidance

Avoidance means you purposefully stay away from any activity, event, person, or object that reminds you of the traumatic event. You may also avoid talking about the trauma.

Intrusion (re-experiencing the trauma)

You may re-experience the traumatic event through sudden flashbacks and nightmares. Flashbacks can make you feel like you’re reliving the event.

Mood and cognition changes

This category includes symptoms such as:

• Anger
• Depression
• Fear and horror
• Guilt or shame
• Isolation (staying away from family and friends)
• Loss of positive emotions like joy and happiness

You may develop distorted beliefs and thoughts, such as blaming yourself (when you couldn’t possibly prevent the trauma).

Arousal and reactivity symptoms

The mental and emotional effects of PTSD may cause you to behave in ways that are uncharacteristic of you. Examples include being easily startled, having sudden angry or aggressive outbursts, and becoming self-destructive.

How is PTSD treated?

The psychiatric specialists offer diagnostic evaluations in-office and through an online telemedicine platform to assess symptoms and confirm a PTSD diagnosis. Your provider begins by getting to know you and completing a psychiatric evaluation. Your provider tailors your care to meet your unique needs. However, PTSD treatment typically includes medication management and psychotherapy (talk therapy).

Medication targets specific symptoms like depression, while therapy teaches you to cope with the trauma and manage your emotions. During therapy, you can safely process what happened, change negative thoughts, and gain skills for managing symptoms.

NYC Psychiatric Associates also offers advanced treatments like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive and safe technique that eases PTSD symptoms when conventional medications don’t help.

You can overcome PTSD with treatment from the caring NYC Psychiatric Associates team. Book an appointment online or call the office today.