Understanding PTSD: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

💡PTSD can be caused by various traumas, including violence, injury, sexual assault, natural disasters, and childhood abuse.

🧠The signs and symptoms of PTSD are categorized into stressor, intrusive symptoms, avoidance, mood and cognitive alterations, and reactivity.

💪PTSD can cause impairment in social, school, or occupational life and can coexist with other mental illnesses.

🩺Diagnosis of PTSD requires meeting specific criteria outlined in the DSM-5, including the duration and impact of symptoms.

💊First-line treatment for PTSD includes psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications, such as antidepressants.

What causes PTSD?

—PTSD can be caused by various traumatic events, including violence, injury, sexual assault, natural disasters, and childhood abuse.

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

—Symptoms of PTSD include intrusive thoughts, avoidance behaviors, mood and cognitive alterations, and reactivity.

Can PTSD coexist with other mental illnesses?

—Yes, PTSD can coexist with other mental illnesses, such as anxiety or depression.

How is PTSD diagnosed?

—PTSD is diagnosed based on specific criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

What are the treatment options for PTSD?

—Treatment options for PTSD include psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications, such as antidepressants.

00:00PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental health condition that develops after being exposed to trauma.

00:12PTSD can be caused by various events such as violence, injury, sexual assault, natural disasters, and childhood abuse.

01:20The signs and symptoms of PTSD are categorized into stressor, intrusive symptoms, avoidance, mood and cognitive alterations, and reactivity.

02:51Diagnosis of PTSD requires meeting specific criteria outlined in the DSM-5, including the duration and impact of symptoms.

04:34PTSD can cause impairment in social, school, or occupational life and can coexist with other mental illnesses.

06:04First-line treatment for PTSD includes psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications, such as antidepressants.

06:51Other treatment options for PTSD include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and medications like clonidine and trazodone.

07:20Some studies have shown better outcomes in patients when antipsychotics like risperidone are added to the antidepressant therapy for PTSD.