Sunday, March 24, 2024

Is Ptsd A Depressive Disorder

Do I Need Health Insurance To Receive This Service

Psychologist diagnosed Nicole Finn with PTSD, depressive disorder

The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.

How Are The Conditions Treated

While depression and PTSD can leave those affected and their close family and friends feeling helpless and alone, there is hope. Depression and PTSD share common treatment methods including medications, service animals, and psychotherapy. If you believe you or a loved one is suffering from depression or PTSD, see a doctor immediately to discuss treatment options.

A doctor may prescribe antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and sleep aids to help treat the symptoms of both PTSD and depression. Participating in psychotherapy, or talk therapy, in addition to taking medications can help those affected learn how to manage emotions and the symptoms. For those with PTSD, exposure therapy and cognitive restructuring has proven successful in helping individuals control their fears and make sense of traumatic memories.

The use of service dogs to help combat feelings of anxiety, depression and fear that are associated with PTSD and depression is also common. Studies have found that petting an animal can relieve stress and service dogs are professionally trained to assist individuals during panic attacks, night terrors, and protect them in crowded rooms or distract them from maladaptive behaviors.

What Are The Symptoms Of Ptsd

PTSD has four different categories of symptoms that include re-experiencing the trauma, avoiding the memories of the trauma, hypervigilance or hyperarousal symptoms, and mood and cognition symptoms. In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, you must have at least two symptoms from the mood and cognition category, two symptoms from the hypervigilance category, one symptom from the avoidance category, and one symptom from the re-experience category.

  • Having the same disturbing thoughts about the trauma over and over
  • Feeling stressed all the time
  • Suffering from nightmares and/or night terrors
  • Frequent flashbacks of the traumatic event

Avoidance

  • Going out of your way to avoid certain places that remind you of the trauma
  • Not accepting help from others
  • Staying away from people who remind you of the trauma
  • Ignoring memories or thoughts of the trauma
  • Pretending like the trauma never happened

Hypervigilance

  • Being overly jumpy or nervous
  • Not being able to concentrate
  • Practicing risky behaviors like drug or alcohol abuse
  • Insomnia or just not being able to stay asleep long
  • Constant anger or frustration
  • Taking your anger out on others
  • Feeling on edge or ready to explode

Mood and Cognition

If you are still not sure if you have PTSD, you can take a PTSD test online that can help you find out.

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Common Types Of Mental Health Disorders

  • Mental health disorders are common, with 1 in 8 people living with one or more diagnoses.
  • There are a wide variety of disorders, but major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders are the most common.
  • There are a number of ways to treat and manage mental illness, but most require a multi-faceted approach and the support of a professional.

Mental health refers to a persons psychological, emotional, and social well-being, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition. It affects our interpersonal relationships, and the ability to deal with stress, make healthy decisions, and deal with the day-to-day. To oversimplify, mental illness occurs when the brain isnt working properly.

Read on to learn more about mental health disorders, including their prevalence, risk factors, and common types.

How Are Depression And Trauma Related

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Depression can sometimes seem to come from out of the blue. It can also be caused by a stressful event such as a divorce or a trauma. Trouble coping with painful experiences or losses often leads to depression. For example, Veterans returning from a war zone may have painful memories and feelings of guilt or regret about their war experiences. They may have been injured or lost friends. Disaster survivors may have lost a loved one, a home, or have been injured. Survivors of violence or abuse may feel like they can no longer trust other people. These kinds of experiences can lead to both depression and PTSD.

Many symptoms of depression overlap with the symptoms of PTSD. For example, with both depression and PTSD, you may have trouble sleeping or keeping your mind focused. You may not feel pleasure or interest in things you used to enjoy. You may not want to be with other people as much. Both PTSD and depression may involve greater irritability. It is quite possible to have both depression and PTSD at the same time. To find out more about the symptoms of PTSD, see What is PTSD?.

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Signs You Or Someone You Know Has Bpd

The same review finds that, while these two conditions are distinct diagnoses, some researchers have observed that one condition may exacerbate the symptoms of the other. For instance, PTSD can intensify the affective instability of someone who has BPD. It may also serve as a trigger for self-injury among people who have BPD.

BPD is often found in people who have suffered from childhood abuse of any kind, and the authors of this paper cite that out of 547 people who had both conditions, 36 percent had experienced childhood sexual abuse. Broken down by gender, 43 percent of women who had both PTSD and BPD had childhood sexual abuse in their backgrounds compared with 19 percent of men in this same group.

Can You Be Depressed And Have Ptsd At The Same Time

Both PTSD and Depression tend to coexist with other medical conditions. Some of these other conditions include chronic pain, headaches, substance abuse disorders, and anxiety disorders.

These two conditions often exist together within the veteran population. It has also been shown that PTSD can lead to Depression, and Depression can have symptoms similar to those of PTSD. So, you might be experiencing both PTSD and depression symptoms together.

Anyone who has experienced or witnessed a life-threatening event can suffer from PTSD. Military combat veterans, accident victims, people who have survived a natural disaster, sexual assault victims, and children who have been abused can all be subject to PTSD.

According to the VA, other factors in a combat situation can add more stress to an already stressful situation. This may contribute to PTSD and other mental health problems. These factors include your military duties, the politics around the war, where the war is fought, and the type of enemy you face.

Risk factors for depression include negative life events, such as divorce, loss of a loved one, or loss of employment. Research shows that chronic stressors are also linked to a higher risk for depression. In fact, stress from adjusting to military life has also been known to cause depression.

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What Can I Do About Feelings Of Depression

Depression can make you feel worn out, worthless, helpless, hopeless, and sad. These feelings can make you feel as though you are never going to feel better. You may even think that you should just give up. Some symptoms of depression, such as being tired or not having the desire to do anything, can also get in the way of your seeking treatment.

It is very important for you to know that these negative thoughts and feelings are part of depression. If you think you might be depressed, you should seek help in spite of these feelings. You can expect them to change as treatment begins working. In the meantime, here is a list of things you can do that may improve your mood:

  • Talk with your doctor or healthcare provider.
  • Talk with family and friends.
  • Spend more time with others and get support from them. Don’t close yourself off.
  • Take part in activities that might make you feel better. Do the things you used to enjoy before you began feeling depressed. Even if you don’t feel like it, try doing some of these things. Chances are you will feel better after you do.
  • Engage in mild exercise.
  • Set realistic goals for yourself.
  • Break up goals and tasks into smaller ones that you can manage.

How Are Ptsd And Depression Connected

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Experts believe that PTSD may be connected due to a chemical imbalance in the brain or genetics, but others claim that it is more likely a reaction to the traumatic event. For example, some people who live in an abusive household may get depression, others may have PTSD, while others could suffer from both.

  • Sleep disturbances
  • Lacking interest in favorite activities
  • Lack of concentration

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Bipolar Disorder And Ptsd

A review published in 2017 concluded that up to 40% of people with bipolar disorder also meet criteria for PTSD. It is not entirely surprising that high rates of PTSD are found among people with bipolar disorder, as many people with bipolar also have a history of traumatic exposure.

Traumatic exposure may be more likely to occur during a manic episode when a person with bipolar disorder is more likely to make risky or impulsive decisions.

In addition to being a risk factor for the development of PTSD, traumatic exposure during childhood, such as childhood physical or sexual abuse, may also be risk factors for the development of bipolar disorder.

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How We Breathe Is The Key To An Effective New Treatment For Anxiety And Ptsd

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that up to 20% of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. The same data show 12% of Gulf War veterans and as high as 30% of Vietnam veterans have experienced symptoms in their lifetime.

While treatments for PTSD have improved since the start of the Global War On Terrorism, incidences of PTSD and anxiety disorder have risen dramatically, as high as 327% between 2000 and 2012. Incidences of trauma can lead to major depressive disorders, substance abuse, poor social function and suicide.

Freespira, a new digital treatment, may offer an effective treatment for panic disorder, anxiety disorders and PTSD. Freespira is a 28-day treatment that retrains patients with certain disorders to build a kind of muscle memory that normalizes how they breathe.

The treatment was developed by Freespira’s chief clinical officer, Robert Cuyler, along with Michael Telch, professor of psychology and director of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas at Austin.

Cuyler cites a Stanford University study that sought to find out what effect fixing dysregulated breathing might have in people who suffer from panic, anxiety and PTSD. What the Stanford research found was that it wasn’t just breathing rates it was also how much carbon dioxide the participants exhaled that mattered.

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When Its Time To Get Help

Arguably, its never too soon or too late to ask for help. If youre struggling with your mental health, whether you have a diagnosed mental illness or not, reach out to your doctor or a licensed therapist.

For all of these mental health disorders, there is treatment. Though in some cases, there is no cure, treatment can help manage symptoms and reduce the impact of the disorder on a persons day-to-day. Common treatment options include:

  • Reducing or omitting substance use
  • Lifestyle changes
  • Relation techniques, including meditation

Depending on a persons circumstances, social services , affordable safe housing, and financial assistance can also be critical to a persons recovery and treatment plan.

Depression Or Major Depressive Disorder

How Is Ptsd Distinguished From Depression Or Anxiety

Depression and PTSD often occur simultaneously. While current statistics on the link between the two are lacking, the National Center for PTSD cites a 1995 study that depression is about three to five times more likely in people who have PTSD than in those who dont.

Depression is widespread and is more serious than just feeling down on one particular day. Annually this mental illness affects an estimated 16 million American adults, and about one in every six adults in the United States will experience depression at some point in their lifetime .

Major depressive disorder, or clinical depression, seriously impedes your ability to function in everyday life. Its a mood disorder that can show itself in the form of having feelings of sadness and hopelessness, trouble sleeping, anxiety, or recurring thoughts of death and suicide, among other symptoms.

In many instances, depression can follow trauma. One example of a depression-inducing trauma is the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 a domestic terror attack that resulted in 168 deaths, including 19 children . After the tragedy, 23 percent of survivors experienced depression. Before the bombing, just 13 percent of this same group of people reported having depression.

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Antidepressants And Cardiovascular Dysfunction

Several antidepressants used for psychiatric treatment can cause problems with your heart. Many older tricyclic antidepressants used to treat this psychiatric illness have been shown to cause fatal arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats. While newer SSRI antidepressants like fluoxetine, citalopram and escitalopram do seem to cause less symptoms, studies show SSRIS also cause arrhythmias, which can increase the likelihood of a cardiac event.

Symptoms Of Both Ptsd And Depression

These two mental disorders are often linked because they share many symptoms. Here are the most common shared symptoms of PTSD and depression.

  • Drug or alcohol abuse

Its important to understand that while depression can make someone more prone to developing PTSD, it doesnt cause PTSD. A traumatic event must occur to trigger PTSD. However, the connection between PTSD and depression is strong.

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Coping With Ptsd And Depression After Treatment

Treatment in even the best facility will not cure you, but it will give you the tools you need to process and live with the trauma you experienced and to manage and prevent depression symptoms. One of the most important things you can do to live well with these mental illnesses is to surround yourself with supportive, loving family and friends. Social support is one of the most important factors in good mental health.

Other things you can do include keeping up with regular outpatient therapy, attending support group meetings, making healthy lifestyle choices, avoiding alcohol and drugs, engaging in activities you enjoy, and using healthy coping strategies for managing stress, like deep breathing or meditation. Listen to the story of Ben, who initially struggled after leaving rehab for PTSD and depression:

âI had a pretty good experience in treatment, but once I got home everything felt overwhelming. I had developed PTSD after being in a major car accident that left my best friend dead. I survived, barely had a scratch, which made me feel completely guilty and depressed, as well as traumatized. In rehab, I went through exposure therapy and learned how to face the memories of the accident and behavioral therapy to manage my negative thoughts and depression.

Common Ptsd Myths Debunked

PTSD and Depression Benefits for Veterans

Often, injury leads to chronic pain. About one in three people in the U.S. experience chronic pain in their lifetime. In one small study, out of 20 people who had experienced chronic pain after a car accident, 10 met the criteria for PTSD diagnosis, and another 3 had significant symptoms.

Beyond chronic pain, PTSD can play a role in other physical conditions. A review published in 2010 looked at a range of conditions from psychological to physical that are comorbid with PTSD. The authors found that over the past decade or so, more research has been done to look at PTSDs relationship to everything from hypertension to obesity.

The authors cited one example of people two months after they survived the 9/11 terror attacks. These people showed an increase between 1.7 millimeters and 3.3 mm of mercury of systolic blood pressure compared with the year before. For this specific population, trauma exposure appeared to greatly increase blood pressure levels.

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What Can I Do If Im Not Happy With My Treatment

If you arent happy with your treatment you can:

  • talk to your doctor about your treatment options,
  • ask for a second opinion,
  • get an advocate to help you speak to your doctor,
  • contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service , or
  • make a complaint.

There is more information about these options below.

How can I speak to my doctor about my treatment options?

You can speak to your doctor about your treatment. Explain why you arent happy with it. You could ask what other treatments you could try.

Tell your doctor if there is a type of treatment that you would like to try. Doctors should listen to your preference. If you arent given this treatment, ask your doctor to explain why it isnt suitable for you.

Whats a second opinion?

A second opinion means that you would like a different doctor to give their opinion about what treatment you should have. You can also ask for a second opinion if you disagree with your diagnosis.

You dont have a right to a second opinion. But your doctor should listen to your reason for wanting a second opinion.

What is advocacy?

An advocate is independent from the mental health service. They are free to use. They can be useful if you find it difficult to get your views heard.

There are different types of advocates available. Community advocates can support you to get a health professional to listen to your concerns. And help you to get the treatment that you would like. NHS complaints advocates can help you if you want to complain about the NHS.

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