The libraryCalm
Put Your Trauma Behind You
PTSD
Also called Post-traumatic stress disorder, Post-traumatic stress, Trauma, Combat PTSD
Who it's forA man who still relives something bad that happened, jumps at noises, sleeps badly and steers round anything that reminds him.
When to see a doctor
- New or worse agitation, anxiety or dark thoughts after starting an antidepressant or changing the dose: call the doctor right away.
- Rage or violence you cannot control, or fear you might hurt someone: tell a doctor now.
- Drinking or using drugs to sleep or to switch off since it happened: tell the doctor. It is no reason to wait for care.
- If you drink every day and shake, sweat or race without it: get medical help before you stop. Alcohol withdrawal is a medical danger.
- Any head injury in the event, even a mild one: tell the doctor. Concussion can look like PTSD, and the two are checked separately.
- Waking gasping or choking, with loud snoring and tiredness all day: ask about sleep apnea. See Sleep apnea.
- Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam or alprazolam, are not a PTSD treatment. They carry a boxed warning: addiction and physical dependence, even at prescribed doses.
- Stopping a benzodiazepine suddenly can bring life-threatening withdrawal, seizures among them. A benzodiazepine with opioids, alcohol or other sedatives can slow breathing and kill.
- Left the UK armed forces and living in England: there is a veterans’ mental health service you can contact directly, as well as through your doctor.
- Symptoms still heavy after trauma-focused care: ask for referral to a specialist trauma service.
- Flashbacks, nightmares, being on guard or avoiding reminders for a month or more after a frightening event: see your doctor soon. Trauma-focused care through your doctor is the first-line treatment, and it works.
I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This is self-education. Every dose on this page is the one a trial or a label used, quoted from the source. It is not a prescription.