Prevention and care
What should you do if you think that a loved one has PTSD? First encourage him to talk about the event, be supportive and not minimize his emotions, and persuade him to consult a health professional if symptoms appear and persist.
The role of the clinician is to offer the patient the opportunity to talk about what happened and to provide a lot of information on the therapeutic options, including psychotherapy or medication. What is important is to explain to the patient what he is suffering from and to indicate that it is normal to react to a traumatic event. Family members need to be made aware of the symptoms of PTSD and encouraged to listen to him, even though his reaction may seem exaggerated to them. Since response to treatment is known to be better if the therapeutic intervention follows soon after the diagnosis of PSTD, anyone showing symptoms of PSTD should be encouraged to quickly consult a health professional.
Sleep disorders are often what leads to a medical consultation. Sedatives or hypnotics may be prescribed for a brief period of time. Antidepressants are considered a first-line treatment: they are safe, effective, and help reduce the various symptoms of PTSD by reducing anxiety and fostering sleep and so the sedatives can sometimes be discontinued. Lastly, several other classes of medications may be used if the patient presents severe symptoms. Such pharmacological treatments are offered by specialized teams.
The most recommended psychotherapeutic interventions for PTSD include behavioural therapy, cognitive therapy or again cognitive-behavioural therapy. The approach called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) seems effective, but no conclusive proof of its effectiveness has yet been established.
While a given person may improve with medication alone or with psychotherapy alone, the chances of improvement are better when the two therapies are applied simultaneously. The response to treatment is variable and difficult to predict. Current scientific studies focus as much on evaluating recognized pharmacological and psychological treatments as on developing new approaches that could improve those treatments. These studies also bring to light indicators that might help in better predicting response to treatments.
The role of the clinician is to offer the patient the opportunity to talk about what happened and to provide a lot of information on the therapeutic options, including psychotherapy or medication. What is important is to explain to the patient what he is suffering from and to indicate that it is normal to react to a traumatic event. Family members need to be made aware of the symptoms of PTSD and encouraged to listen to him, even though his reaction may seem exaggerated to them. Since response to treatment is known to be better if the therapeutic intervention follows soon after the diagnosis of PSTD, anyone showing symptoms of PSTD should be encouraged to quickly consult a health professional.
Sleep disorders are often what leads to a medical consultation. Sedatives or hypnotics may be prescribed for a brief period of time. Antidepressants are considered a first-line treatment: they are safe, effective, and help reduce the various symptoms of PTSD by reducing anxiety and fostering sleep and so the sedatives can sometimes be discontinued. Lastly, several other classes of medications may be used if the patient presents severe symptoms. Such pharmacological treatments are offered by specialized teams.
The most recommended psychotherapeutic interventions for PTSD include behavioural therapy, cognitive therapy or again cognitive-behavioural therapy. The approach called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) seems effective, but no conclusive proof of its effectiveness has yet been established.
While a given person may improve with medication alone or with psychotherapy alone, the chances of improvement are better when the two therapies are applied simultaneously. The response to treatment is variable and difficult to predict. Current scientific studies focus as much on evaluating recognized pharmacological and psychological treatments as on developing new approaches that could improve those treatments. These studies also bring to light indicators that might help in better predicting response to treatments.