How to Help Someone With PTSD
Originally posted on https://www.soledadhouse.com/rehab-blog/how-to-help-someone-cope-with-ptsd/
A post-traumatic stress disorder doesn’t just happen to soldiers. Women from all walks of life may also struggle with it. In some cases, you wouldn’t know only by looking at her. Would you know how to help someone with PTSD?
UNDERSTANDING PTSD
PTSD can be the result of a situation that never received proper processing. Far too many people believe that simply not mentioning something causes others to forget the event. But that’s not how to help someone cope with PTSD. What the person really needs is professional help.
HOW TO HELP SOMEONE WITH PTSD WHO’S SELF-MEDICATING
Far too often, women self-medicate when they struggle with the condition. Maybe they survived an assault, witnessed a traumatic event, or survived abandonment. Nobody helped them process the event. Now, it keeps replaying itself in their minds.
Perhaps the person encounters flashbacks that make daily functioning difficult. Others suddenly struggle with disabling emotions. Enrolling at the women’s PTSD treatment center San Diego, CA counts on is an excellent first step. However, far too many women abuse drugs or alcohol instead.
They numb themselves to the emotions. They use stimulants to get out of bed. At night, they used depressants to get some sleep. In between these activities, they function as best as they can.
Learning how to help someone with PTSD can be as simple as making a call. Talk to good-quality women’s addiction treatment program. Counselors there can help you point a loved one in the right direction. Treatment is essential for healing.
GETTING THE NECESSARY HELP TO DEAL WITH PTSD AND ADDICTION
How to help someone cope with PTSD means taking the first step. You get the information you need to pass on. The goal is not to make treatment sound rosy. Rather, it’s to be factual about mental health and addiction treatment therapies.
Examples include:
- Dual diagnosis treatment that helps someone deal with depression, anxiety, and trauma
- Trauma treatment, which encourages a healthy way of reprocessing the event
- Dialectical behavior therapy that lets someone regain control over intense emotions in tough situations
- Substance abuse treatment such as behavioral therapy
- Family therapy that brings in loved ones to assist with healing and the difficult conversations
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO NOTHING?
You now know how to help someone with PTSD. However, it’s up to you to turn this knowledge into action. If you do nothing, there’s a good chance that your loved one continues on a destructive course. This is particularly true if she’s taking drugs or self-medicating with alcohol.
Addiction doesn’t get better on its own. The same’s true for PTSD. It requires expert intervention to overcome the conditions. Without your intervention, it most likely won’t happen.
Is there a chance that she’ll make the call herself? It’s possible that she will. But if she hasn’t done so already, isn’t it time to learn how to help someone with PTSD? Connect with therapists at the Soledad House today by dialing 866.314.3222 now.