Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a type of anxiety disorder, can occur after a deeply threatening or scary event. Even if you weren’t directly involved, the shock of what transpired can be so immense that you have a difficult time living a normal life.

People with PTSD can have insomnia, flashbacks, low self-esteem, and a lot of painful or unpleasant emotions. You might constantly relieve the event- or lose your memory of it altogether.

When having PTSD, it might feel like you’ll never get your life back on track. But you can never be shy of the ideal PTSD treatment Singapore option to leverage. Short and long-term psychotherapy and medications can work very well. Often, the two kinds of treatment are more effective altogether.

With therapy, there are three main goals you should focus on i.e.; improve your symptoms, teach your skills to deal with it, and restore your self-esteem. Most PTSD therapies fall under the umbrella of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The idea is to change the thought patterns that are disturbing your life.

This might happen through talking about your trauma or concentrating on where your fears emanate from. Depending on your situation, group or family therapy might be a good choice for you instead of individual sessions.

Cognitive Processing Therapy

Cognitive processing therapy is a 12-week course of PTSD treatment Singapore, with weekly sessions of 60-90 minutes. At first, you’ll talk about the traumatic event with your therapist and how your thoughts related to it have impacted your life. Then you’ll write in detail about what happened. This process helps you examine how you think about your trauma and figure out new ways to live with it.

For instance, maybe you’ve been blaming yourself for something. Your therapist will help you take into account all the things that were beyond your control, so you can move forward, understanding and accepting that, deep down, it wasn’t your fault, despite things you did or didn’t do.

Medication

The brains of individuals with PTSD process ‘threats’ differently, in part since the balance of chemicals called neurotransmitters is out of whack. Fortunately, medications help you stop thinking about and reacting to what transpired, including having nightmares and flashbacks. They can also help you have a more positive outlook on life and feel more ‘normal’ again. Several types of drugs affect the chemistry in your brain related to fear and anxiety.