PTSD Treatment Center for Mental Health
PTSD Treatment Center for Mental Health
Women struggling with PTSD can experience debilitating symptoms that interfere with daily life. It can make them be in constant fight-or-flight mode. Always being on edge and alert for danger can be mentally and physically exhausting. It can also lead to abusing drugs or alcohol to numb the pain.
But PTSD doesn’t have to control your life. Seeking help from a PTSD treatment center can help you recover. At Lightwork Therapy and Recovery, we understand women’s unique challenges after a traumatic event.
Our compassionate treatment team provides personalized treatment plans and care to heal the mind, body, and spirit. Our women’s PTSD treatment includes:
- Targeted therapies
- Relaxation and holistic techniques
- Peer support
If you are tired of quietly struggling with PTSD, take the first step and contact us today.
What is PTSD in Women?
PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a mental health disorder that often may occur after a person witnesses or experiences a traumatic event. Females usually have different symptoms than males. Females are also two to three times more likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic event.
The National Institute of Mental Health states around 6 in 100 people will struggle with PTSD in their life. However, 10-12 in 100 females will struggle with PTSD. Although not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD, certain factors like genetics and type of event influence development.
Signs and Symptoms
Feeling anxious, upset, or frightened is normal after a traumatic event. These feelings often start to fade days and weeks after the event. But for some people, these symptoms can become serious.
Men and women often struggle with the same symptoms of PTSD. However, there are some symptoms of PTSD that women struggle with more.
Commonly shared symptoms of PTSD include:
- Flashbacks or nightmares
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Guilt
- Avoiding situations that bring up memories of the event
- Negative thoughts that interfere with daily life
- Feeling jittery, nervous, or tense
- Self-destructive behavior
How PTSD Differs in Women
Avoidance
Hyperarousal
- Anxiety
- Excessive startle reflex
- Hypervigilance
- Trouble sleeping
- Problems concentrating
- Irritability
- Panic attacks
Research has found women who develop PTSD after military service have higher hyperarousal than men.
Re-experiencing the Trauma
This symptom can be frightening because people often cannot recognize it isn’t happening. They may have emotional and physical responses. Research shows women often experience this more than men.
Emotional Numbness
Women struggling with PTSD may shut down when they are overwhelmed or highly distressed. This can involve:
- Feeling detached from others
- Lacking emotions
- Losing interest in things or people
- Trouble feeling positive
- Social isolation
PTSD is unique because it affects everyone differently. For example, the majority of people don’t experience any symptoms. Symptoms can be immediate or begin gradually over time. If you experience any of the above symptoms, you should speak to your doctor or a PTSD treatment center.
What Causes PTSD?
Women experience PTSD after experiencing a scary or dangerous event. PTSD is often associated with veterans who have been to combat. However, many types of traumas can trigger PTSD, including:
- A physical or sexual assault
- Abuse, including childhood and domestic abuse
- Serious accident
- Natural disaster
- Exposure to traumatic work events
- Serious health problems
- Childbirth events such as stillbirth
- Death of a loved one
If you have experienced any of the above events, it would benefit you to speak to a PTSD treatment center to minimize the effects of PTSD.
How Long Does PTSD Last?
How long PTSD lasts varies from one person to the next. For some, symptoms improve over time. For others, symptoms can last months or years. In some cases, PTSD becomes a chronic mental health disorder.
There are several factors that influence how long PTSD lasts, including:
- Severity of the trauma – More severe or prolonged traumas increase the risk of chronic PTSD.
- Seeking treatment – Attending a PTSD treatment center early on can minimize the severity and duration of symptoms.
- Having a support system – Having a positive environment and supportive people around can help with PTSD symptoms.
- Co-occurring mental health disorders – Having other mental health disorders, such as anxiety or depression, can impact how long PTSD lasts.
PTSD is treatable, and women show significant improvements after seeking help at PTSD treatment centers.
What Does PTSD Treatment Include?
Although there isn’t a cure for mental illness, a PTSD treatment program can help you process your traumatic experience and develop healthy coping techniques to alleviate symptoms.
However, everyone’s experiences and treatment needs are unique. At Lightwork Therapy and Recovery, we create personalized treatment plans for each woman who enters a treatment program. Every treatment plan addresses the woman’s specific concerns and goals in recovery.
Common PTSD treatment center programs include psychotherapy or talk therapy and medication-assisted treatment. Women work with their doctors to find the right medications to help manage their symptoms. Doctors may also use medications to help with sleep and irritability.
At Lightwork, we offer various forms of outpatient treatments. No matter which program works best for you, they all provide the following.
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
- Somatic therapies
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Mindfulness-based therapies
Should I Attend a PTSD Treatment Center?
If you let your PTSD go untreated, it can severely impact your physical and mental health. Leaving your PTSD untreated also increases the risk of self-medicating with drugs or alcohol to cope with the symptoms. While it may provide temporary relief, continuing to misuse drugs or alcohol can lead to addiction and worsening of symptoms.
If you have gone through a traumatic event and are struggling with the following, you may need help from a PTSD treatment center.
- Irritability
- Agitation
- Severe anxiety
- Hypervigilance
- Insomnia
- Flashbacks
- Nightmares
- Emotional detachment
- Isolation
- Loss of interest in activities
If you are struggling with any of the above symptoms, you should consider reaching out to a PTSD treatment center. If you are struggling with PTSD and co-occurring addiction, dual-diagnosis treatment can help you heal and achieve lasting recovery.
Lightwork Therapy and Recovery’s PTSD Treatment Center Offers Lasting Recovery
Contact us today at our Woburn, Massachusetts, treatment center and take the first step to healing, recovery, and living your best life.