What is PTSD and Its Symptoms?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that often arises after you experience or witness a traumatic event, such as a violent accident or a terrorist attack. It’s a deeply personal mental condition because of how traumatic memories are rooted in your mind. The trauma casts a long shadow that affects different aspects of your life, including your work and social interactions, as well as your sense of well-being and safety.
Dr. Ditzell Psychiatry is a premier mental health solutions provider. Led by Dr. Jeff Ditzell, the practice offers effective PTSD treatment in NYC, among other innovative mental health treatments. PTSD is a unique struggle for every individual, and it requires compassionate, professional care. Dr. Ditzell helps you navigate the trauma with personalized PTSD therapy in New York that works.
How Do I Know I Need PTSD Treatment?
If you have PTSD, you often don’t recognize how a traumatic event can shape your life long after the event itself. Violent events — like physical and sexual assault, a natural disaster or a horrendous car accident — shatter your sense of safety. The experience leaves memories that linger on after the immediate danger has passed.
But there are recognizable symptoms that tell you need PTSD therapy. It’s recommended that you seek treatment for PTSD if you have persistent or intensifying symptoms that include:
- Vivid flashbacks that replay the trauma
- Difficulty sleeping
- Nightmares
- Avoiding people, places and things that remind you of the experience
- Feeling constantly on edge
- Guilty feelings from surviving when others did not
While it can be difficult to acknowledge these symptoms, they are a clear indication that professional evaluation is needed. Call Dr. Ditzell Psychiatry to schedule an in-person or virtual appointment for post-traumatic stress disorder treatment in NYC — a first step toward a healthier future.
What Makes PTSD Different from Other Mental Health Disorders?
Unlike other disorders, pot-traumatic stress disorder is born of traumatic memories that your mind can’t let go. In general anxiety disorder, your mind may be disturbed by vague and unwarranted fears. But with PTSD, these fears come from a real experience. It provides validity to your feelings.
PTSD has a story that sometimes stretches over a long period of time. For example, you may remember the memory and physical sensations of a sexual assault even after years. The trauma causes layers of emotional scarring that takes a longer time to heal than other mental health disorders. Some aspects that make PTSD a challenge include:
- Real experience. Your trauma comes from a specific experience or event from your past.
- Flashbacks. You not only remember the event, but may also relive the trauma.
- Hypervigilance. While you go about your days, you’re always on the lookout for danger.
If you are experiencing prolonged traumatic episodes that require specialized attention, the skilled team of therapists and psychiatrists at Dr. Ditzell Psychiatry can help with C-PTSD care or traditional PTSD treatment in NYC. Call us today for a comprehensive approach to treating PTSD.
What Are My Options for PTSD Treatment in New York City?
Your PTSD therapist uses a mix of talk therapy and medications to create an effective treatment for PTSD. At Dr. Ditzell Psychiatry in Manhattan, you gain access to the best PTSD treatments, including:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This method reframes the memories that keep trauma alive, helping your mind break away gradually.
- Psychodynamic therapy. This therapy is used to dig into your emotional layers so your PTSD psychiatrist can assess how the past events shape your current reality.
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). This approach uses guided eye movements to help you process traumatic memories.
- PTSD medications. Medication helps stabilize your moods and nerves. Anti-anxiety drugs ease the tension that trauma provokes, while anti-depressants lift mind fog and feelings of despair reducing depression.
It’s unlikely that one PTSD therapy or medication on its own produces positive results. Instead, your PTSD psychiatrist uses a blend of techniques to complement and amplify each other. All these tools have their place to help you heal from PTSD.
How Does Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) Treatment Differ from Traditional PTSD Treatment?
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) treatment addresses trauma over prolonged durations, such as captivity or abuse over years. Traditional methods may not suffice in such cases. A complex PTSD psychotherapist integrates additional approaches like emotional regulation and trust-building into long-term plans.
Your PTSD therapist uses a comprehensive approach that may include CBT therapy to challenge your distorted beliefs and relational family therapy to mend interpersonal relationships with your family. Complex PTSD treatment is an integrated effort that goes beyond traditional PTSD treatment to include:
- Emotional regulation to control your overwhelming emotions
- Trust-building to reintroduce safety in relationships
- Long-term focus that seeks healing beyond surface symptoms
If you have prolonged trauma requiring deeper attention, Dr. Ditzell offers comprehensive care tailored to complex cases through experienced C-PTSD specialists in NYC. Dr. Ditzell served in the United States Army for over 20 years and knows firsthand the long-term effects of PTSD. Call us today to meet a capable doctor who can offer a comprehensive response when you need it.
How Effective Are PTSD Medications?
PTSD medications play a crucial role in your treatment plan. You need a combination of medications that work together to help you deal with the trauma in therapy. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs, for example, deliver mood stabilization while suppressing thoughts that replay your trauma.
The team at Dr. Ditzell Psychiatry uses PTSD medications, paired with talk therapy, to achieve the best outcomes. Since PTSD is such a complex, ingrained condition, your doctor has to use all the tools available to help you. PTSD medications amplify your therapy through:
- Mood modification to help you experience fewer and less intense emotional rollercoasters
- Thought relief for less intrusive and fewer unwanted memories
- Anti-anxiety medications to dial down your physical tension and feelings of being on edge
- A sleeping aid to help you rebuild your strength and immunity by getting sufficient rest
Call us today if you are seeking an experienced and skilled team for a comprehensive, multi-faceted PTSD treatment approach that includes therapy, medications, and ketamine infusions.
Finding a PTSD Therapist Near Me
The right specialist doesn’t just provide treatment—they offer understanding and guidance through every step of recovery. Whether you’re seeking traditional care or specialized support like EMDR or CBT for complex trauma, finding an expert like Dr. Ditzell ensures access to effective post-traumatic stress disorder treatment in New York City.
How to Find a PTSD Therapist in Your Area
If you’re seeking PTSD treatment nearby, here are a few tips:
- Ask your primary care doctor for recommendations.
- Check with your insurance provider for a list of in-network specialists.
- Search online for “ptsd therapy near me,” “ptsd treatment near me,” or “ptsd therapist near me.”
- Look for specialists through professional associations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) or the National Center for PTSD.
- Check with local health departments, community centers, and non-profit organizations.
- Read reviews of local doctors online and schedule consultations to get to know more about them.
- Your PTSD specialist should be board-certified in psychiatry, clinical psychology, or a related field such as counseling or social work.
What Can I Expect from a Visit to My PTSD Therapist in NYC?
Treatment for PTSD starts with a psychiatric appointment & consultation with your PTSD therapist. This doctor lets you share your story at your own pace to get a clear picture of your trauma by evaluating your symptoms, sleeping patterns and flashback patterns and frequency. Your therapist helps you understand what you’re facing, while establishing treatment goals.
The best PTSD treatment is built around your needs, rather than a checklist. In individual therapy, your PTSD psychiatrist creates a judgement-free space to explore your trauma and deliver a workable treatment plan that fits your life. You can expect the following principles from Dr. Ditzell:
- Listening first, when your voice matters most
- Checking symptoms to identify the most pressing and problematic ones
- Creating a custom treatment plan that combines the most effective tools for your case
Post-traumatic stress disorder is treatable, and there are proven treatment options that work. Dr. Ditzell mixes PTSD therapy and medications, providing a lifeline to pull your mental state back to health. Get the best PTSD treatment available in New York City; contact Dr. Ditzell Psychiatry to set up an appointment today.
See a leading PTSD Specialist in New York City
We are New York experts in providing a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to treating PTSD. Schedule a same-day in-person or telehealth psychiatrists appointment today with well-regarded PTSD specialist Dr. Ditzell for safe and effective treatment for PTSD in NYC.