What Most Don't Realize About PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a profile that’s high enough for many to have awareness. Often associated with stressful professions like front-line military or first responders, PTSD can happen to anyone. In fact, nearly 13 million Americans will have PTSD symptoms this year and as much as 8% of the population can expect to experience PTSD over the course of their lifetimes. 

The team at KETA Medical Center works on the front lines of PTSD treatment. We build on the traditional approach of medication and psychotherapy by adding ketamine therapy, a powerful way to modify secondary brain chemistry to positively change the way your body reacts at the neurotransmitter level. 

There’s much about PTSD that isn’t common knowledge. Myths and misconceptions exist too. As with many mental health conditions, those without first-hand PTSD experience may have a hard time fully understanding the nature of the condition. Today we’ll look at a few things that most don’t realize about PTSD. 

It can take years for PTSD to emerge

The nature of the events that cause PTSD are often unmistakably catastrophic. These could be accidents, assaults, or witnessed events, something of impact and significance that virtually anyone would agree was shocking. 

Some people may immediately respond with PTSD symptoms or a similar condition called acute stress disorder. Others take time for the cyclical nature of PTSD thinking to manifest in observable symptoms. This process could take weeks, months, or even years before results are obvious. 

More women than men have PTSD

Women experience PTSD more often than men, by a factor of about two to one, even though men generally experience more traumatic events in their lives. It could be the nature of the type of events women experience that accounts for the higher rate of incidence they endure. 

You don’t need first-hand experience to develop PTSD

When someone close to you experiences a traumatic event, it’s possible for you to develop PTSD out of your own empathy with their situation, even if they don’t. Observing events without being a victim of those events may still be enough to provoke a response in you. 

There’s a wide range of symptoms

While there are common symptoms and patterns between PTSD patients, you may not have a similar symptom set to another patient. Sometimes, women and men experience different symptom sets. In general, women tend to avoid or ignore thoughts and reminders of trauma, while men tend to develop anger and substance abuse to distance themselves from their emotional responses. 

If you’ve received ineffective or partial results with previous PTSD treatment, reach out to KETA Medical Center. Low-dose ketamine infusion therapy can produce dramatic results in combination with traditional treatments. Contact KETA Medical Center by phone or online to schedule a consultation. We’re standing by to help you.