Medications alone are not effective for treating posttraumatic stress disorder; however, they can be helpful for some people when combined with therapy. Treatment of PTSD in the general clinical setting usually involves a combination of psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and psychoeducation, although there are more targeted and tailored treatment interventions for special populations of trauma survivors.

PTSD is notorious for mimicing a variety of other psychological disorders at any given time, so it is very important that careful assessment and diagnosis be made. Besides prominent anxiety, people with PTSD also experience significant depression and dissociation. Other symptoms include survivor guilt, panic attacks, shame, a general sense of fearfulness, frustrated helplessness, and rage. There may be periods of extreme dependent behavior, timidity, hostility, tearfulness, impulsive and self-injurious behavior, aggression, or explosive behavior. In addition, these symptoms and behaviors may frequently occur within minutes or seconds of each other. People with PTSD may also experience somatic complaints and feelings of ineffectiveness, as well as hallucinations and delusions.

Your physician or a psychiatrist can recommend the medication that he/she thinks might be helpful for you. Finding a mental health professional such as myself, who has specialized education and experience in working with survivors of abuse and trauma, can be crucial for a person's successful resolution of the trauma(s) and recovery from PTSD.