What is PTSD?
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental condition that can occur after a traumatic event that can last for months or even years. You might experience flashbacks, nightmares, or severe anxiety because of the traumatic event that you either experienced or witnessed. The symptoms of PTSD can make it hard to go about your daily life and may cause significant problems in your social relationships. There are four types of PTSD symptoms including intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions. To learn more about the symptoms, you can click here. If you find yourself relating to these symptoms after a traumatic event, you might be experiencing PTSD.
Who can have PTSD?
Anyone can develop PTSD at any age. While war veterans are commonly known to get PTSD, they aren’t the only ones. People who have been through a physical or sexual assault, abuse, accident, disaster, or other serious events can also develop PTSD. You can also develop PTSD if you yourself didn’t experience the event. It could’ve been a friend or family member that experienced the event. According to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, family members of Covid-19 intensive care patients may develop PTSD. The sudden change in health status of a parent, strict visitor restrictions, and uncertainty around difficult decisions, can give family members a very hard time. If you think you or a loved one have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the pandemic or other traumatic events, there are ways to help treat it.
How to Treat PTSD
Luckily there are a few different ways to treat PTSD, including medications and psychotherapy. Some of the most studied types of medications for PTSD include antidepressants, which can help control some of the symptoms relating to sadness, worry, or fear. In addition, psychotherapy, or talk therapy, can help in either one-on-one or group settings. Talk therapy can help teach you skills to identify the trigger of your symptoms and skills to manage your symptoms. Ketamine is also a new medicine for PTSD and it is known as Ketamine Infusion Therapy.
Ketamine and PTSD
Ketamine was used as an anesthetic drug during the Vietnam War and was found to have unique properties providing anesthesia and analgesia with minimal effect on the respiratory system. Studies since then have found that just a single treatment with ketamine relieved severe depression symptoms for several days. Ketamine can be specifically helpful for people with PTSD because people often need quicker solutions for relief. If you would like to learn more about ketamine treatment for PTSD, you should contact Austin Ketamine Specialists today. It should be noted that ketamine treatment for PTSD must be administered in a clinical setting by a medical professional.