Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder in the category of trauma- and stressor-related disorders, and it is diagnosed when symptoms last for more than four weeks. PTSD can develop after exposure to a traumatic event that involves a real threat to the person or to those around them. Examples include a car accident, rape, a terrorist attack, combat, robbery, sexual assault, violence and more.
People with PTSD suffer from fear, anxiety and helplessness, intrusive memories of the event, attempts to avoid anything that reminds them of it, and hyperarousal. All of these can severely impair their functioning and their ability to lead a normal daily life.
In this article, we review the types of treatment available for PTSD:
Types of PTSD Treatment
Various treatments have been developed over the years, including psychological, pharmacological, natural and other approaches. Stella Israel offers a medical treatment with 75% clinical effectiveness, which we describe in more detail below.
This article should not be taken as a recommendation or a preference for any particular treatment. Please consult a qualified professional to find the right treatment for you. These are the available treatments:
Medication for PTSD:
There is no medication designed specifically for PTSD. Instead, medications are used to reduce the symptoms that accompany the disorder, such as anxiety, depression, fear, hyperarousal and more.
Antidepressants:
Antidepressants can help relieve depression and anxiety and may even improve sleep problems and concentration. The most commonly used medications for PTSD are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Effexor. Specific medications commonly used in treatment include sertraline, paroxetine, venlafaxine and fluoxetine. Clinicians also use medications from the SNRI group (venlafaxine – Viepax). It is worth noting that even after decades in which SSRIs have been considered a first-line treatment, psychiatry still does not fully understand the mechanism by which serotonin works, or why it takes a relatively long time (three weeks on average) before an effect can be seen.
Sedatives:
Sedatives from the benzodiazepine family (Benzodiazepines) are generally effective against anxiety, hyperarousal and irritability. Although these drugs bring quick relief, they are used with great caution because they can lead to dependence in a considerable share of people with PTSD.
Psychotherapy for PTSD:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
This approach combines the idea that creating change in the patient requires a change in how they perceive reality (as in cognitive therapy) with the idea that a change in the patient’s behavior is also needed, which means learning and practicing new behaviors (as in behavioral therapy). The treatment methods are based on the assumption that psychopathology stems from maladaptive associations that affect the patient’s behavior, thoughts and emotions.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
This method is based on repeatedly revisiting the traumatic event in the patient’s imagination in a controlled and sustained way, with the goal of confronting obsessive thoughts and the patient’s attempts to avoid trauma-related memories. The exposure helps the patient separate the traumatic event from other events in the world, and so stop experiencing the world as dangerous.
EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing):
A treatment method developed in the late 1980s by Dr. Francine Shapiro to treat symptoms and suffering resulting from exposure to negative life events or sources of distress. According to Dr. Shapiro’s theory, when a traumatic or highly distressing experience occurs, the neurological and cognitive coping mechanisms can become flooded with input. In this flooded state, the memory and its features (images, sounds, emotions, bodily sensations) cannot complete the processing they require, and as a result they are stored dysfunctionally in a separate memory network. The goal of EMDR therapy is to complete the processing of these distressing memories, reduce their ongoing impact, and help patients develop more adaptive coping mechanisms.
Medical Cannabis and Psychoactive Substances for PTSD:
First, let us be clear that medical cannabis is not suitable for all PTSD patients! If a person with PTSD also has a mental disorder such as psychosis, is pregnant, or has conditions such as heart failure or other types of health problems, they will not be able to get a prescription from a doctor. However, a psychiatrist who commits to following the patient throughout the treatment period can approve a prescription for medical cannabis. Israel’s Ministry of Health has set up a special unit for issuing medical cannabis permits. Cannabis can help with symptoms of anxiety and hyperarousal.
Keep in mind that chronic use of high doses of medical cannabis can lead to cannabis use disorder. Using high doses over a long period can cause cannabis addiction and various kinds of functional difficulties. In addition, in recent years researchers have been studying PTSD treatments with psychoactive substances such as MDMA, LSD and various other drugs.
Ketamine or Esketamine Treatment:
Ketamine is a widely used anesthetic in medicine. In addition to its role as an anesthetic, it has been found effective in treating depression. Another use of ketamine is as a treatment for PTSD. Clinical reports show a positive effect of ketamine in cases of PTSD combined with depression and anxiety that did not respond to other treatments.
Neurofeedback for PTSD:
Neurofeedback is a modern treatment method that allows the patient to teach their brain how to function optimally. Regulating brain wave activity, which is learned during treatment, brings significant symptom relief in a completely non-invasive way.
Medical Treatment for PTSD: Stella Israel
Many people are familiar with the existing psychological and pharmacological treatments, but according to numerous studies, we know that people with PTSD have biological and physiological damage.
Our treatment is called Stellate Ganglion Block, a short procedure involving two injections of local anesthetic on both sides of the neck (one to two weeks apart). The injections are given in an area containing clusters of the nerves responsible for the “fight or flight” response, which are affected after a traumatic experience and play a key role in restoring balance between the brain and the sympathetic nervous system.
A malfunction along this pathway causes physiological symptoms in people with PTSD and anxiety (hyperarousal, anxiety attacks, sleep problems, outbursts of anger, etc.). The injections are performed by a certified anesthesiologist under ultrasound guidance throughout the entire procedure, for maximum safety and effectiveness.
SGB treatment has been shown in research to be safe and effective for treating PTSD and anxiety. Its major advantages are the short duration of the treatment (20 min), quick recovery times, and the fact that it does not affect the patient’s alertness or reaction times. Most Stella patients (over 75%) report significant symptom relief after just 2 treatments, and say that the improvement in symptoms and the overall sense of calm last for months to years. It is important to note that we recommend combining the treatment with other supportive therapies, such as psychological support.
The treatment is given to people who have been diagnosed with PTSD by a psychiatrist and have passed a suitability assessment by the company.
Watch the Stella Israel CEO and a Patient Interviewed in the YNET Studio
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