Episode 781

Understanding PTSD — and the Treatments That Work

Why watch: Episode 781 is a full half-hour on posttraumatic stress disorder, built entirely from the U.S.

CPT Sarah Humphries, a woman in a dark red top, seated for an interview in a home setting, in a still from About PTSD symptoms — AboutFace, VA National Center for PTSD

Episode 781 is a full half-hour on posttraumatic stress disorder, built entirely from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' own productions. Three veterans from the VA National Center for PTSD's AboutFace project tell it in their own words: Captain Sarah C. Humphries on the emotional numbness that made her withdraw from her family, Edward J. Fair on how PTSD sneaks up on you like a ghost in the night, and Timm Lovitt on why driving became one of his biggest triggers. From there the program moves to what works: a whiteboard explainer on what PTSD is, a step-by-step look at Cognitive Processing Therapy, the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid that helps veterans compare proven treatments, and an introduction to the free PTSD Coach app. Two segments walk veterans through the VA claim exam process, and two more show recovery in motion — golf helping veterans manage symptoms, and recreation therapy helping an IED blast survivor find his calling. For veterans and families, the message is that treatment works and help is free. For VA partners, veterans' organizations, healthcare providers, broadcasters, sponsors, and funders, this episode is AATV's mission at full strength: a half-hour that can change — and possibly save — a life.

In this program

About PTSD symptoms I pretty much alienated myself from everyone... CPT Sarah C. Humphries
About PTSD symptoms It sneaks up on you like a ghost in the night. Veteran Edward J. Fair
About PTSD symptoms One of my big triggers is driving. Veteran Timm Lovitt
AboutFace Learn about PTSD and how treatment can turn your life around
Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD
Golf helps Veterans with PTSD deal with symptoms
Introduction to the PTSD Coach app
PTSD Treatment Decision Aid
Tips to Prepare for Your VA Claim Exam
VA Claim Exams Psychological
VA rec therapy helped this IED blast survivor cope with PTSD and find his calling
What is PTSD (Whiteboard Video)

Sound Tips™ Companion

PTSD is treatable, and the treatments with the strongest evidence are trauma-focused psychotherapies. The VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline recommends Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and EMDR as the most effective PTSD treatments — they produce greater improvement than medications, and the improvement lasts longer. For those who prefer medication, paroxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine have the strongest support. Sleep is often the first casualty: insomnia is reported by 90 to 100 percent of Vietnam-era veterans with PTSD, and 92 percent of active duty personnel with PTSD report clinically significant insomnia, compared with 28 percent without PTSD. Nearly half of people with lifetime PTSD — 44.6 percent — also meet criteria for an alcohol or substance use disorder; veterans with PTSD are twice as likely to have an alcohol use disorder and three times as likely to have a drug use disorder. Free help is close at hand: the PTSD Coach app offers symptom tracking and coping tools, AboutFace shares unscripted veteran stories, and the PTSD Family Coach app supports loved ones. Families can help by learning about PTSD, offering to join doctor visits, and planning low-stress time together. Recreation counts too — PGA HOPE, the only adaptive golf program with a formal VA agreement, serves more than 4,500 veterans a year. And if you have a VA claim exam coming, know that it is based on DSM-5 criteria and conducted by board-certified psychiatrists or licensed psychologists — go prepared to describe your symptoms honestly.

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