PTSD & C-PTSD Treatment

Help A Loved One Get Treatment for PTSD

The first step toward recovery is to have a complete assessment. Here at Cady Wellness Institute, our experienced clinicians will ask about your physical and mental health, along with any symptoms you’re currently experiencing. We want to know and understand your story so our team can offer the most appropriate treatment.

If you or a loved one is struggling with PTSD, Cady Wellness Institute is the place for you. Call us today to schedule an appointment.

Understanding Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, or rape or who have been threatened with death, sexual violence or serious injury.

While PTSD has been called many names in the past, such as "shell shock" during World War I and "combat fatigue" after World War II, it does not only affect combat veterans. It can affect people of every ethnicity, nationality, and culture at any age.

PTSD patients experience intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings after enduring a traumatic event. There may be flashbacks or nightmares; sadness, fear, or anger; and disconnection from other people due to the event. A person with

PTSD may be wary of people or situations that remind them of a traumatic event or have strong adverse reactions to something as ordinary as a loud noise.

It is necessary to have been exposed to an upsetting traumatic event to diagnose PTSD. Exposure could, however, be indirect rather than first-hand. The condition can also be caused by repeated exposure to horrific details of the trauma, like police officers being exposed to details of child abuse cases.

PTSD Symptoms

• Intrusion
• Avoidance
• Alterations in cognition and mood
• Alterations in arousal and reactivity

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In the days following a traumatic event, many people experience symptoms similar to those described above. An individual must experience significant distress or problems in their daily lives for more than a month to be diagnosed with PTSD. Symptoms usually begin developing within three months of trauma, but they can also take months and sometimes years to appear. PTSD is often associated with other conditions, including depression, substance abuse, memory impairment, and other health issues.

Complex PTSD and What It Looks Like

Complex PTSD is a result of chronic trauma over months or even years. This can include emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, domestic violence, living in a war zone, being held captive, human trafficking, and other organized rings of abuse, and more. Children who experience severe, repeating trauma during childhood, often through abuse, are at increased risk of developing C-PTSD. Some criteria for C-PTSD are the following:

• Emotion Regulation
• Difficulty with self-perception
• Interruptions in consciousness
• Difficulty with relationships
• The perception of one's perpetrators
• One's 'System of Meanings'

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It may appear that PTSD and Complex PTSD are not too dissimilar on the surface -- both are triggered by trauma, cause flashbacks, nightmares, and insomnia, and can make people live in fear. A significant difference lies in what causes C-PTSD, how it manifests internally, and its lifelong effects (including medically).

Learn More about Complex Trauma.