PTSD

PTSD services serving Redondo Beach, Los Angeles, CA, and the surrounding areas

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is well known for affecting military veterans, but anyone can end up with the condition in the wake of a traumatic event. If you develop anxiety, flashbacks, or other ongoing symptoms, the psychiatrists at Regeneration Psychiatry can help you overcome the trauma and intense emotions caused by PTSD. They also work closely with people in the LGBTQ community who have a dramatically higher risk of developing PTSD than others in the general population. To get the support and treatment you need, call the office in Redondo Beach, California, or book an appointment online today.

PTSD Q&A

What is PTSD?

PTSD is a mental health condition that begins after something threatens your safety or causes harm. You can develop PTSD whether you directly experience the event or witness it.

Traumatic events that frequently cause PTSD include:

  • Military duty

  • Physical assault

  • Sexual assault

  • Emotional or physical abuse

  • Automobile, plane, and train accidents

  • Earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes

  • Death of a loved one

  • Gun violence

  • Robberies

  • Fires

Everyone feels anxiety and distress after these events. However, your feelings should gradually improve. You may have PTSD if your symptoms last longer than a month.

What symptoms occur due to PTSD?

PTSD causes a range of recurring symptoms. You may experience:

Intrusion symptoms

This group of symptoms includes nightmares, flashbacks, and uncontrollable memories that make you relive the trauma.

Negative thoughts, feelings, and mood

PTSD often causes depression and anxiety. Many people also experience guilt or shame, thinking they could have avoided or prevented the traumatic event.

Arousal and reactivity symptoms

PTSD puts you in a state of high alert. As a result, you’re hypervigilant and continuously on edge, watching for things that trigger your PTSD symptoms. You may have angry outbursts or have a hard time sleeping.

Avoidance symptoms

Many people with PTSD avoid the people, places, and things that remind them of the traumatic event. You may have such strong avoidance that you stay away from important activities and change your daily routine.

How is PTSD treated?

PTSD treatment often involves evidence based therapies that improve your anxiety and other symptoms. Your Regeneration Psychiatry provider can recommend therapies that achieve your goals, whether you need to change negative thoughts, learn how to better manage powerful emotions, overcome guilt, or rebuild social skills.

Your Regeneration Psychiatry provider may also prescribe medications that can target PTSD and some of its most common symptoms. 

In addition to pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, your Regeneration Psychiatry provider may recommend complementary treatments or lifestyle changes.

You can return to a life without PTSD when you get help from the psychiatrists at Regeneration Psychiatry. Call the office or book an appointment online today.