Patient Comments: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Effective TreatmentsWhat kinds of treatments have been effective for your posttraumatic stress disorder?
Comment from: 65-74 Male (Caregiver)
Published: November 29
My husband came back from Vietnam with PTSD and was diagnosed with anxiety. What helped him the most was writing and rewriting his experiences (at least five drafts on a typewriter) into a memoir (Chickenhawk). It moved nightmares and intrusive thoughts and memories into his past. It didn't cure the PTSD, but it made life more bearable. A few years ago, he also started on Zoloft, which helped with his depression that I consider a natural result of PTSD's emotional numbing. Refuse your feelings and you will get depressed. Was this comment helpful?Yes
Comment from: katieh, 45-54 Female (Patient)
Published: November 29
I had a psychotic mother who was physically, sexually, and emotionally abusive to me as a very young child. I was placed in an even more abusive orphanage where I began to self-harm and eventually try to kill myself. I also switched into another personality there. I was called "#14," and I switched to "14," who wasn't so afraid of the abuse there. At some point, I began to suffer from PTSD. After 30 years, I was put on Zyprexa. It immediately took just about all my self-harming and suicidal thoughts away. However, I gained 100 pounds. No doctor wanted to take me off it, so I did it myself and finally got stabilized on Seroquel. These are antipsychotics but have been proven helpful in treating PTSD. I have not met anyone else though who has had such a significant improvement to the extent I have. However, it is worth a shot. Was this comment helpful?Yes
Comment from: Ashleigh, 35-44 Female (Patient)
Published: October 15
After trying several types of medication, I found exercise, yoga and meditation to work the best. The medicine - Lexapro did help some what, but made me feel tired/sleepy and gave me gut problems. I advise not going back to work full time as you burn yourself out again. Seeing a psychologist helped as well as you could talk about your experiences although I wanted to avoid as much of my past experiences as possible. I have heard that 6 week courses run by PTSD psych/psychiatrists have been really helpful for police and military personnel. Remember that your family needs you and set yourself goals. Was this comment helpful?Yes
Comment from: Pushed to the limit, 25-34 Female
Published: September 24
After being abused when I was a child, moving many of times, going through my parents divorce, and being raped as a teenager, I could hardly sleep, and began having panic attacks all the time. This lead me to see a therapist who helped me work through my past which I kept a secret for years. I was finally feeling better until overwhelming stress and sexual harassment at work pushed me over the edge and I was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It was absolutely awful. I didn't want to do anything, go anywhere, and was terrified of anything related to my job (of which I had to leave on doctor's orders). It's almost been a year and things have improved, but it's astonishing what this can do to a person. I've found therapy very helpful, along with medicine, plenty of sleep, light exercise, keeping a journal of how I feel and trying to make small goals for myself. If I could do anything differently, I would have spoken up a lot earlier, and not have pretended everything was fine until I couldn't take it anymore. Was this comment helpful?Yes
Patient CommentsViewers share their comments
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Causes
Question: Briefly describe the cause of your PTSD.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Coping
Question: What coping skills have been effective for you in dealing with PTSD?
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Assessment
Question: How were you assessed and later diagnosed with PTSD?
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Help
Question: What group or organization has helped you cope with your PTSD?
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Symptoms
Question: What symptoms did you experience with posttraumatic stress disorder?
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I have been in and out of therapy most of my adult life. I am sober for 24 years and go to AA. I take 20 mg of Celexa daily. I am still severely depressed. I dissociate; I am very angry, I isolate, and can't stand to be around people or at work. I mostly can't stand myself. I feel like a caged tiger. My new therapist suggested to me that I may have PTSD, something that I have never considered or has been suggested to me before. But it seems to be right on, the more research I do. I was neglected as an infant and young child, and suffered abuse by my father throughout my life beginning at age 7. All I know is that everything is getting worse, not ever better, so something has to change. I am hoping that this therapist can help me face my demons, something that has never happened before in therapy, and that I can actually do it, because I am terrified of going there. But if I can't hope that I will ever get better or feel better – have a little ray of sunshine eventually – then what is the point?