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ADHD

People who have gone through or seen a traumatic event can have severe stress linked to the incident. Traumatic events can include witnessing or being involved in a car accident, military action, a terrorist attack, rape, or some other act of violence. Many people get better on their own. But it often takes time. Sometimes professional help is needed.

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People who feel they can't get control of their lives because of their responses to the trauma may have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The symptoms vary. For some people, symptoms appear right after the event. For others, they may happen days, weeks, or even months later. PTSD has been linked to other mental illnesses. It can happen with depression. Or it can lead to depression. People with PTSD may not be aware that they are affected by it.

Treatments

How someone reacts to trauma depends on a number of things. These include the person’s age, personality, and any exposure to trauma in the past. Any person, of any age, can develop PTSD after a traumatizing event.

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Several types of psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, may be used to treat children and adults with PTSD. Some types of psychotherapy used in PTSD treatment include:

  • Cognitive therapy. This type of talk therapy helps you recognize the ways of thinking (cognitive patterns) that are keeping you stuck — for example, negative beliefs about yourself and the risk of traumatic things happening again. For PTSD, cognitive therapy often is used along with exposure therapy.

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  • Exposure therapy. This behavioral therapy helps you safely face both situations and memories that you find frightening so that you can learn to cope with them effectively. Exposure therapy can be particularly helpful for flashbacks and nightmares. One approach uses virtual reality programs that allow you to re-enter the setting in which you experienced trauma.

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  • Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR combines exposure therapy with a series of guided eye movements that help you process traumatic memories and change how you react to them.

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Your therapist can help you develop stress management skills to help you better handle stressful situations and cope with stress in your life.

All these approaches can help you gain control of lasting fear after a traumatic event. You and your mental health professional can discuss what type of therapy or combination of therapies may best meet your needs.

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You may try individual therapy, group therapy or both. Group therapy can offer a way to connect with others going through similar experiences.

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Getting Started

If you are here, you are probably already taking steps one and two of getting started, which are decide to make a change, and find the right therapist for you. -Amazing job!

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If you would like to speak to one of our therapists and begin to learn about our practice you can start by reaching out to us in the way you feel most comfortable using our contact info below or on the contact us page. You can call or you can email if talking on the phone isn't for you. We will help you to begin the process of your first visit in the office or teletherapy. We can not wait to learn more about you or your children/teens and start a journey together towards better mental health.

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