Dr. Heidi Erickson spent nearly 30 years serving her country in the military and worked directly with soldiers recovering from a repetitive blast and other war-related neuropsychiatric impairments, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At her practice in Oklahoma City, she brings her experience, knowledge, and strategies to help people who are coping with the symptoms of PTSD.
Symptoms of PTSD in children and teens may present a little differently and include:
PTSD symptoms vary and may disappear within six months or become a chronic condition.
PTSD is a mental health disorder brought on by a traumatic event. It’s normal to feel fear after experiencing a scary or life-threatening event, but with time, most people are able to develop skills to overcome the fear.
However, if your fear lingers for months or years and causes nightmares, anxiety, or uncontrollable thoughts that affect your everyday life, you may be dealing with PTSD.
PTSD is often equated with the traumatic events soldiers experience during combat. But PTSD can affect anyone who goes through a traumatic event, including:
Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event develops PTSD. Doctors aren’t certain why some people are more susceptible to PTSD than others, but specific factors may increase your risk, such as:
PTSD treatment varies from person to person. Dr. Erickson may recommend psychotherapy, medication, or both.
As a doctor who treats the whole person, she may also recommend alternative treatments such as supplements, as well as lifestyle changes including meditation, regular exercise, and a healthy diet.
During psychotherapy, Dr. Erickson may help improve your PTSD symptoms by:
If you are in crisis or you know of a person that may be in danger, call 911 immediately or contact one of these services for immediate assistance.
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
Crisis Text Line: Text “DESERVE” TO 741-741
Lifeline Crisis Chat (Online live messaging):
https://988lifeline.org/chat
Self-Harm Hotline: 1-800-DONT CUT (1-800-366-8288)
Essential local and community services: 211
https://www.211.org/
American Association of Poison Control Centers: 1-800-222-1222
National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependency Hope Line:
1-800-622-2255
National Crisis Line – Anorexia and Bulimia: 1-800-233-4357
LGBT Hotline: 1-888-843-4564
TREVOR Crisis Hotline: 1-866-488-7386
AIDS Crisis Line: 1-800-221-7044
Veterans Crisis Line:
https://www.veteranscrisisline.net
TransLifeline: 877-565-8860
https://www.translifeline.org