“Mom, I’m taking medication for PTSD.”

As a sophomore in high school, Greta survived a school shooting where three classmates died. She had problems I’m sleeping And then I focused three months after the event and saw the therapist who helped her get back to sleep concentration. She did well when she felt high levels until she began her first year in medical school. stress. Once inside the large auditorium, she felt she was unsafe and began to search for an exit everywhere, in case she had to escape from the shooter.

Sometimes she had panic attacks in large classes and had to leave. When there was a shooting at another university, she struggled to sleep every night, wondering if the shooter would enter her school. She began to have nightmares about filming most nights. She went to the therapist and then to the psychiatrist when the symptoms were no longer able to be managed. She called her mother and told her. medicine for PTSD. ”

During the first few weeks of the freshman year, Liz went to the bar with a friend. She met another freshman and he invited her to his room to talk. When she reached his room he sexually assaulted her and then told her to leave. She was in shock. She learned about prevention sexual Assault, her parents warned her, and now it happened. She told no one other than the nurse practitioner at the Student Health Care Center who tested the STD. After this event, she had a hard time falling asleep.

She was tired all day long, but sometimes she couldn’t go to class because she was worried about bumping into the students who attacked her. It was hard to concentrate when she went to class or studied. She has always been a great student, but she got all the CS for that semester. She contacted the counselor the following semester to receive help.

Both Greta and Liz experience later symptoms –trauma Stress disorder or PTSD. According to DSM V, PTSD may include death or threatened death, serious injury, or Sexual violence Experience the event in person, witnessing it, and learning about it has occurred to friends and family. Symptoms last for at least a month and include distressing symptoms such as painful memories. dreamor flashback. Evasive actions will be taken to prevent the event from being remembered, so that you don’t want to leave your home. Negative moods and thoughts can last. Irritability, concentration issues, and sleep disorders can also be present. These symptoms usually occur just after the event, just like Greta and Liz, and may occur a few years later, just like Greta.

Not everyone experiences PTSD after a traumatic event. Research shows 8-12% We will continue to develop PTSD in people exposed to trauma. In working with university students, the number of students with PTSD is increasing. According to a survey by the National University Health Association, Fee Of students diagnosed with PTSD at some point in their lives, this increased from 4.8% in fall 2019 to 8.2% in spring 2024. The rate of PTSD is higher in women than in men. There are many causes of PTSD in the university population – sexual assault, school shooting, military service, and Childhood abuse. There are well-researched and effective treatments for PTSD.

Treatment of PTSD

Treatment It is an excellent treatment for PTSD. Treatment Researched and proven effective include long-term exposure (PE). Eye movement, desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR); and cognitive processing therapy (CPT). All these methods help people to handle their own injuries and relieve symptoms of PTSD.

PTSD medication

Treatment can be proven to be extremely effective in treating PTSD, medicine It may be considered for treatment as well. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) Sertraline Paloxetine is FDA approved for the treatment of PTSD. Venlafaxine, a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, has also shown effectiveness in the treatment of PTSD. Once patients start these medications, the dose should be raised slowly to reduce the likelihood of side effects. It is important to slowly tapereduce the medication if it is clinically appropriate for the end of medication. Medication doesn’t have to be forever, but it’s essential to help patients recover during difficult times.

Sleep problems are particularly common in PTSD. If treatment is not effective in improving sleep, there are medications that can be useful. Sleep problems may be resolved by adding SSRI alone or by adding nighttime medications such as trazodone (off-label treatment for sleep) or prazosin (off-label sleep treatment for PTSD-related nightmares). I generally try to avoid using benzodiazepines such as alprazolam or lorazepam or sleeping pills like Zolpidem.

Students in relationships with ongoing abuse and interpersonal violence (IPV) face special challenges. Due to chronic verbal, physical, and/or sexual abuse, these students may experience PTSD as well as PTSD depression and anxiety. It is important to provide treatment to these patients and provide treatment through treatment and medication. Victims’ advocates affiliated with campus or community police stations can link with legal and supportive resources to keep them safe.

Treatment continues to evolve by a significant recognition of the impact of trauma on mental health. Parents, friends, therapists and psychiatrists can all help students on a healing journey from trauma.

©2025 Marcia Morris

Details have been changed to protect patient privacy.