Category: Trauma

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that a person can develop after experiencing a disturbing or life-threatening situation. It is a mental health issue that affects people in many different ways. Common symptoms are anxiety, depression, increased agitation, irritability and tiredness; though there are many other symptoms. PTSD is most commonly found among war veterans and survivors of life-threatening situations. It is a popular hot-button topic, so it is only natural that...

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If you or someone you love has experienced a traumatic event, you might be looking for a treatment to help heal that trauma. Healing takes times and what works for one person is not going to work for everyone. Finding the right therapy approach for you is going to take personalized care and a discussion with a mental health professional who understands your specific situation and your mindset. If you are looking for ways to heal trauma, here are some of the most common approaches...

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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse are one of the most common dual diagnoses. Many of the symptoms of PTSD will drive a person to look for a way to regain control over their emotions and their life. Some people turn to drugs or alcohol for that relief, believing it will help them feel in control again or can help to numb the pain or forget the traumatic situation that is now causing them stress. PTSD and substance abuse are closely linked and one cannot be treated without...

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No matter the source of your feelings of grief and loss, these feelings can be very difficult to deal with. Simply stewing in them will only make you feel worse. If you want to cope with grief, here are nine ways to do just that and improve your life: 1. Reach out and ask for support. The worst thing you can do is try to deal with your grief on your own. Now is the time to seek out the support of people who have been through a similar loss or who are in the exact same situation. For example,...

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What is survivor guilt? Survivor guilt is the experience of living through an extraordinary event and experiencing feelings of guilt for surviving. The "event" could be anything from escaping an accident (a car crash or house fire), to surviving high intensity/high stress situations (a bank robbery or police stand-off) or a more large-scale event such as a terrorist attack (like 9/11 or the most recent Orlando shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub where a gunman left 49 people dead and 53...

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When you survive a traumatic experience that your family members or friends did not, many people expect you to be relieved. What you feel, instead, is shock, grief, and even guilt. You may even feel responsible for the deaths of the people around you or that there was something more that you could have done to help those other people. These feelings are called survivor’s guilt and they are surprisingly common.  Here are some signs you may be suffering from survivor's guilt and how to cope...

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On June 12, 2016, a gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 others inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, FL. The gunman was killed by Orlando police after a three-hour standoff. It was the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in the U.S., and the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in the U.S. The massacre was widely denounced both as an act of terrorism and a hate crime.* Of the 53 people that survived, many are now experiencing what's known as survivor guilt. What...

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