Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that is triggered by a traumatic event, due to experiencing the event or witnessing it and PTSD needs treatment from qualified and experienced professionals.[1]
The most common traumatic events leading to the development of PTSD include:[2]
- Childhood physical abuse
- Sexual violence
- Physical assault
- Being threatened with a weapon
- An accident such as a plane crash or car crash, train wreck,
a shooting or a bombing - Combat exposure
- Natural Disasters
Getting help from our professionally-trained therapists and medical professionals at Innercept Residential Mental Health Treatment is the best way for adolescents and young adults to prevent severe reactions from PTSD and learn to cope with the symptoms so they don’t progress into acute disease.
Symptoms may begin within one month of a traumatic event but can also develop many years later. Symptoms can vary in frequency and intensity over time. Exposure to triggers specific to the original traumatic event may increase PTSD symptoms as can stress.[3]
There are four main types of PTSD symptoms:[4]
- Intrusive Memories
- Avoidance
- Negative changes in cognition, thinking and mood
- Alterations in arousal and reactivity
Adolescents and young adults with PSTD may experience a variety of symptoms including:[5],[6]
- Flashbacks
- Uncontrollable thoughts about a traumatic event
- Insomnia or trouble falling asleep
- Nightmares
- Severe anxiety
- Agitation
- Bursts of anger
- Irritability, negativity or aggressive behavior
- Feeling tense or isolated
- Fear
- Depression or Sadness
- Trouble concentrating or memory loss
- Feeling numb
- Loss of interest in doing things they enjoy
- Difficulty with school and or work
- Problems with relationships
- Difficulty expressing emotions
- Guilt or Shame
- Suicidal Thoughts
Symptoms of PTSD can also cause teens and young adults to have difficulties in relationships which make it challenging for them to cope with life. When symptoms last longer than a month, specialized treatment is needed, and Innercept Residential Mental Health Treatment Center Professionals can help ease the suffering. Comorbid conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, sleep disorders and eating disorders are also common in patients who have PTSD and trauma. Data from the National Comorbidity Survey indicates that at least one additional psychiatric disorder is present in many people who have a history of PTSD. Many also meet the criteria for three or more psychiatric diagnoses.[7]
Risk factors for PTSD may include: stress level, childhood abuse, a family history of anxiety and depression and other inherited mental health issues, personality disorders, and the chemicals and hormones that regulate the brain and are released in response to stress. Other risk factors may include lacking an adequate support system, jobs that expose one to triggers like first responders or military combat soldiers, being the victim of an accident or an assault, additional traumatic events earlier in life, long-lasting trauma and genetics.[8]
Treatment at Innercept Residential Mental Health
Treatment will include an assessment by our team of caring and experienced clinicians and physicians at Innercept Residential Mental Health Treatment Center, where they collaborate and determine the extent of the disease, types of therapy and specific medications that may be needed, all based on each patient’s age, medical history and additional health issues. We sometimes confirm a dual-diagnosis and we use the integral recovery model to support relapse prevention.
Teens and young adults at Innercept are empowered to make choices from a menu of positive and healthy options in a safe environment without judgment that reinforces their core-value systems and helps them sustains long-term wellness. Our program has a 90-day minimum length of stay which enhances our ability to assess and treat young people so they can function and flourish.
Our Stabilization environment provides support to newly-admitted individuals who come from psychiatric-hospital settings and have a need for a low-stimulus environment. These patients are suffering from mood-disorders which need to be managed with uninterrupted medication. 24-hour care professionals are on hand and available every minute to help each resident who is in crisis. This setting is geographically separate from our other program locations and progress reports are made available to parents for patients who are under our specialized care.
Our unique, guided treatment program and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) help young people cope with negative thoughts during their times of struggle. With a skilled therapist’s help, and using breathing and relaxation techniques, as well as EMDR (eye movement and de-sensitization and reprocessing), patients learn to reduce their reactions to triggers that may remind them of their original trauma and learn to refocus during their transition to independence. Both individual and family counseling sessions help support the patient in achieving and maintaining their ongoing recovery.
At Innercept Residential Mental Health Treatment, we treat young people with even the most complex diagnoses including those who have previously failed at treatment. We provide an evidence-based model with a “soft landing” environment to help each patient work their program and achieve a sustainable recovery so they can lead more healthy, productive lives.
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967
[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967
[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967
[4] https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd
[5] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967
[6] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
[7]https://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/1215/p2401.html#:~:text=Approximately%2080%20percent%20of%20patients,least%20one%20comorbid%20psychiatric%20disorder.
[8] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967