How Long Does PTSD Last? Finding Support Through Telehealth

How Long Does PTSD Last? Finding Support And Recovery Through Telehealth

Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after experiencing a traumatic event or experience. Some people may experience such severe trauma that it interferes with their daily lives, causing them to relive the experience repeatedly. Those with PTSD often want to know how long these symptoms might last and whether they’ll find relief. Understanding the treatment options available, especially through accessible telehealth services, may help you or a loved one find support.

Understanding the causes of PTSD

There are several causes of PTSD. However, the underlying theme is that the events that cause PTSD are traumatic to the individual who experiences them. Certain risk factors can make someone more likely to develop PTSD, including but not limited to assault, abuse, accidents, serious illness, and natural disasters. Not everyone who experiences trauma may develop PTSD because everyone responds to life differently. Even those diagnosed with PTSD can have varying symptoms and experience the disorder to varying degrees of severity.

The timeline of PTSD: What to expect

Without proper treatment, PTSD can continue to affect the individual living with it for a lifetime. With treatment, many cases of PTSD can be effectively managed. The timeline for improvement varies significantly from person to person.

Some individuals see improvements relatively quickly after beginning treatment, while others may need to continue therapy for months or even years before noticing substantial changes. How long the disorder persists can depend on the individual, the type of trauma they’ve experienced, their environment, and the type of treatment they receive.

The duration of symptoms may also depend on whether someone is living with complex PTSD (C-PTSD), often caused by prolonged and repeated trauma over many years, particularly during childhood development. Life is often full of unexpected challenges, and specific stressors can cause PTSD symptoms to resurface or worsen even after periods of improvement.

Seeking diagnosis and treatment through telehealth

If you are experiencing PTSD, seeking treatment is an essential step in recovery. Though treatment does not guarantee complete symptom elimination, it can provide valuable tools to cope with daily life in healthier ways.

To be diagnosed with PTSD, a mental health professional will look for symptoms associated with trauma that have persisted for at least one month. While you can seek treatment earlier than a month after a traumatic event, a formal diagnosis of PTSD may not be made until later.

Through ReachLink’s telehealth platform, you can connect with licensed professionals who specialize in trauma treatment from the comfort and safety of your own home. This can be particularly beneficial for those whose PTSD symptoms make leaving home difficult or anxiety-provoking.

Several therapeutic approaches can be effective for treating PTSD. Our network of therapists is trained in various evidence-based modalities, including:

• Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP)
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy
• Stress inoculation training

Treatment may also include medication management through our telehealth psychiatry services. Different combinations of treatment methods can be more effective for some people and less effective for others. Working with both a therapist and a psychiatrist simultaneously through our comprehensive telehealth platform can ensure you’re receiving holistic, high-quality care.

Evidence-based treatment options available through telehealth

Below are some of the most effective treatment options for PTSD available through ReachLink’s virtual care platform. However, always consult with your provider before deciding on a specific treatment approach.

Medication management

Medications for PTSD can include antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, beta-blockers, antipsychotics, and benzodiazepines. While many of these medications may relieve symptoms in the short term, they aren’t designed to “cure” PTSD. Rather, they are meant to target the specific side effects accompanying the diagnosis and make it easier to cope with daily life or engage productively in therapy.

Medications may also be prescribed if you are experiencing other mental health disorders, such as anxiety or depression, alongside PTSD. Through ReachLink’s telehealth psychiatry services, you can consult with a doctor before starting, changing, or stopping any medication, all without leaving your home.

Stress inoculation training

Stress inoculation training is one of the methods that might be used in conjunction with therapy. This training method helps clients learn new ways to cope with stress, whether traumatic or part of daily life. Through video sessions with your ReachLink therapist, you may learn techniques like deep breathing, relaxation exercises, positive thinking, and how to stop negative thought patterns and rumination. Stress inoculation training can teach you how to react more productively when a stressful situation arises, a trigger is presented to you, or a memory resurfaces.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy is an intensive form of trauma-informed therapy that has been adapted successfully to telehealth platforms. With this type of therapy, you might not be asked to talk in detail about the trauma itself. Instead, you may be asked to think about the trauma on your own or explore the surface details while partaking in bilateral brain stimulation exercises that can be guided remotely by your therapist.

The idea is to associate those memories with a positive or neutral thought process to disassociate the negative emotions. In a meta-analysis comparing EMDR and CBT, EMDR was more effective in treating PTSD than CBT in seven out of ten studies.

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)

Cognitive processing is one of the most common treatment methods for PTSD and many other mental health conditions. This therapeutic modality involves discussing the details of your trauma with your therapist, including thoughts and feelings related to the event. Through secure video sessions, your ReachLink therapist can support you as you work through these challenges to associate truth with the events and address distorted thinking patterns, such as self-blame or catastrophizing.

Exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP)

Exposure therapy can be helpful for overcoming specific triggers. If your PTSD is constantly triggered by people, events, or situations in your daily life, exposure therapy can help you adjust to them. With this therapy method, your therapist slowly introduces you to different triggers, starting with smaller ones and working up to more difficult ones over time. Even through telehealth, skilled therapists can guide you through graduated exposure exercises, helping you learn how to respond more calmly and rationally when confronted with triggers.

The benefits of telehealth for PTSD treatment

If you are experiencing symptoms of PTSD after a traumatic event, finding appropriate support is crucial. Speaking with a licensed therapist can help you process what you went through, and your therapist can equip you with coping tools to manage triggers you may face. PTSD is often comorbid with other conditions like anxiety and depression, which can make it difficult to leave the house.

This is where ReachLink’s telehealth platform offers significant advantages:

1. Accessibility from a