Post-traumatic stress disorder - overcoming the trauma

Anxiety, depression and sometimes suicide

As mentioned above, post-traumatic stress disorder manifests itself in the form of intrusive memories (flashbacks) and nightmares. In addition, there are symptoms such as

• emotional numbness
• nervous overexcitement with increased vigilance (heightened awareness of possible dangers), anxiety and insomnia
• Joylessness
• Withdrawal and avoidance behaviour
• Shame and feelings of guilt
• anxiety, depression and weariness with life
• Suicidal behaviour

In dialogue together

PTSD is diagnosed through a clinical psychiatric examination. Here, the patient is asked carefully but specifically about symptoms and complaints. This enables our therapist to get a precise picture and to ascertain the psychopathological findings.

The Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) is an additional option for diagnosing PTSD: In this diagnostic test, those affected fill out a longer questionnaire using multiple-choice fields to narrow down the extent of the stress disorder.

What can be done to combat PTSD?

Treatment through psychotherapy

PTSD is primarily treated with psychotherapy. For this purpose, certain techniques of special trauma therapy are used. Once a trusting therapeutic relationship has been established with the patient, stabilisation measures are carried out so that those affected no longer feel so helplessly at the mercy of the symptoms.

Once these techniques have been successfully established, the confrontation phase begins gently, in which patients are confronted with the traumatic event. They always remain in control of what is happening. In this way, they begin to process what they have experienced and the original symptoms are reduced until they are no longer present.

Drug therapy

Supportive drug treatments can sometimes also be carried out. Here, treatment is always primarily symptomatic, e.g. to improve depression or sleep disorders.

Specially trained team of experts

The Department of Psychiatry and Psychosomatics at Bethesda Hospital is highly specialised in the treatment of trauma disorders (PTSD). Several of our therapists have the relevant additional training and are at your side with a wealth of experience.

Every 10th victim of a road accident develops PBTS

How many people develop PBTS from a trauma also depends on the severity of the trauma. In the case of victims of rape, war and torture, around half of all people later suffer from PBTS. For other violent crimes it is a quarter, and for road traffic accidents 10%.

It is estimated that one in a hundred people in Switzerland will develop PBTS at least once in their lifetime. In principle, all people have the same risk of developing this stress disorder - this depends very much on their personality structure.