Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by a traumatizing event. PTSD is chiefly characterized by hypervigilance, intrusive flashbacks, panic attacks, and withdrawal from social situations in the attempt to avoid anything that may trigger the nagging memories.
While PTSD may make you distance yourself from other people, especially your loved ones, tackling it alone can be overwhelming. The people in your life – your partner, friends, and family— can play an important role in your treatment. This is why mental health professionals highly encourage patients with PTSD to tell others about their condition.
If you are feeling shame or embarrassment, sharing it with others may seem counterintuitive, but in time, it will help you get better. Here’s why.
Why Bother Telling Others About Your Condition?
One great reason to share your PTSD diagnosis with others is for emotional support. The people in your life, provided they are not the source of your trauma, notice your symptoms and are also likely affected by them.
PTSD treatment highlights the importance of getting a strong support system. With greater emotional support, you are better able to overcome the challenges that come with the condition. You know the feeling of having the weight lifted off your shoulders after confiding in someone you trust? It’s similar to that. It is a cathartic release and gives you the assurance that there are people you can count on who do not only commiserate with your condition but who will do what is necessary to help you navigate it.
Whom Do You Tell?
Share your diagnosis with people whom you trust and who genuinely care about you making a recovery. To identify the people to share it with, consider these traits: compassionate, understanding, nonjudgmental, and trustworthy.
Do not throw a wrench in your recovery by sharing details with someone with toxic behavior. Identify those people you have a good relationship with or who are in inclined to help those around them in need. Your human resources manager at work may also want to know about your diagnosis to give you some considerations at work.
If you barely have friends or family, you may be interested to join support groups (in-person or online). Social support has shown to be highly beneficial for people with PTSD. People with the same diagnosis as you have will be a wonderful base for you. You can reach out to them if you have questions about your condition or if you want to know whether your experiences have anything in common with theirs—without the fear of prejudice.
Whatever support you are getting from your group, you pay it forward to the new members who may also be groping along the dark passage of PTSD. This will give you a great sense of purpose and achievement that despite your condition, you are able to help others in the same boat as you are. This may also provide you with therapeutic benefits.
First-Rate PTSD Treatment in NY and Connecticut
At Psy-Visions, our board-certified mental health professional—Dr. Mark Stracks—is known not only for his expertise but also for his compassionate, reassuring approach. Apart from prescribing the standard medications, Dr. Stracks will likely recommend talk therapy, which will significantly help you regain a sense of control over your life. He may also suggest support groups where you can get some of the help that you need to live well.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Stracks, call us at (718) 887-2918 or use our online appointment requeset form. We are proud to offer telepsychiatry visits to our patients seeking PTSD treatment in NY and Connecticut.
