5 Myths About PTSD

Considering how common the condition is, you might be surprised that PTSD remains fairly misunderstood. Here are five common myths people believe about PTSD — and why they aren’t true.

This misconception can be harmful. A person who has experienced trauma and is showing symptoms of PTSD may not be compelled to seek a diagnosis because he or she hasn’t been in the military and doesn’t associate PTSD with other forms of trauma, says Tara Emrani, PhD, a psychologist based in New York City.

2. PTSD Is a Chronic Condition That Can’t Be Treated Effectively

• Addressing the traumatic situation If possible, when PTSD is due to a living situation, chronic illness, or another reason that the trauma is ongoing, treatment will try to address the situation, in addition to the symptoms of PTSD.
• Psychotherapy Psychotherapy is also known as “talk therapy.” This involves speaking with a mental health professional, and it could take place one-on-one with a psychiatrist or psychologist or in a group setting. You might use relaxation and anger-management skills to deal with examining your reaction to the trauma. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is one type of therapy that’s commonly used for PTSD.
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy EMDR involves focusing on a trauma memory while using bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, lights, or vibrating tools, among others) to reprocess the memory and decrease its impact on your emotions and physical sensations.
• Exposure therapy This type of psychotherapy involves facing and managing your fears. This means that a therapist could expose you to your triggers (things that remind you of your trauma) by using mental imagery of the trauma or having you visit the site of a traumatic event.
• Cognitive processing therapy This is another type of psychotherapy that aims to help you make sense of bad memories associated with your trauma. You may feel guilt or shame about your trauma, and a therapist would help you challenge and change these beliefs.
• Medications Antidepressants are the most common medications used to help PTSD. These medications could help lessen your feelings of sadness, anger, and anxiety. They might be prescribed in addition to your psychotherapy sessions. Ask your healthcare provider which medications might make the most sense for managing your symptoms.

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
• Present-centered therapy (PCT)
• Written exposure therapy (WET)
• Transcutaneous magnetic stimulation (TMS)
• Neurofeedback
• Intravenous ketamine (Ketalar) infusions
• Esketamine (Spravato) nasal spray
• MDMA
• Psilocybin (the psychoactive chemical in certain mushrooms)

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• Prazosin (Minipress)
• Clonidine (Catapres)
• Propranolol (Inderal LA, Inderal XL, Innopran XL)
• Buspirone
• Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP)
• 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, aka ecstasy or molly) assisted therapy (MDMA-AT)

3. Everyone Who Has PTSD Is Prone to Violent Behavior

“One of the biggest myths out there is that a person with PTSD is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode,” says Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, MD, a psychiatrist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. “There is this sense that all people who have PTSD are unstable. Now, it is true that people with PTSD are likely to be irritable, but PTSD has a wide range of symptoms and this idea that everyone who has PTSD is going to explode is a mischaracterization.”

4. If Trauma Happened Long Ago, You’re Automatically ‘Over It’

That can be especially true when it comes to trauma experienced at a young age. “Someone could experience a childhood trauma and never process it until much later,” Dr. Emrani says. “It could be something they never talked about and then something happens during their adulthood to trigger that memory and it could start exacerbating symptoms of PTSD. This is often seen in people who experienced childhood physical or sexual abuse. They might have suppressed memories of this trauma and then are triggered later on when they are adults.”

5. Coping With PTSD Is a Sign of Weakness

Emrani says that one myth that particularly upsets her is the idea that people who have PTSD are “weak.”

“A lot of times people might say, ‘Oh, that person who has PTSD is weak, they’re easily susceptible to trauma.’ I just want to debunk that right now,” she says. “It is not a weakness and it isn’t something that people ‘should just get over,’ as they might be told by misinformed people. In fact, I would say it’s the opposite; it’s rather courageous when people come forward to seek treatment and help and are open to discussing and exploring their trauma.”

“If your leg is broken, you go to the doctor and get a cast, and eventually have to ease back into running,” Emrani says. “No one says, ‘Go run’ immediately. PTSD is like that. If you are suffering from trauma of some kind, it takes a long time to work through that. It is nothing close to a weakness or something anyone should feel guilty about.”

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can affect anyone who has experienced something that threatened their perceived sense of safety, or their life, or that of the people around them.
• Despite common stereotypes, PTSD doesn’t overwhelmingly affect military veterans, doesn’t necessarily cause violence, and having chronic symptoms is not related to weakness, among other misconceptions.
• There are a number of treatments that may be used for PTSD, including psychotherapies and medications.