10 Ways to Help a Loved One With PTSD Treatment

If someone is concerned about a family member, friend, or relationship partner who struggles with PTSD, there are ways to demonstrate support, such as learning more about PTSD, offer assistance, and provide space.

Here are nine ways to provide support and encouragement to someone undergoing PTSD treatment:

1. Learn about the condition!
2. Take time to talk about their situation, or to simply listen
3. Provide personal space whenever needed
4. Offer assistance in scheduling or keeping therapy appointments<
5. Encourage healthy eating, sleep habits, and routine exercise
6. Consider attending one or more treatment sessions to learn how to be more helpful to their loved one
7. Plan activities with their loved one
8. Be a model of good self-care routines
9. Maintain healthy boundaries 

Equally important are the actions to avoid taking, as they can increase distress for your loved one. Things to avoid doing with someone who has PTSD include:

• Avoid giving advice about their specific treatment plan. Leave that to the mental health professional
• Don’t insist that they tell you about the trauma

If you are in a situation where your loved one is experiencing great distress and emergency services are needed, make sure you contact:

• Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
• 9-1-1 for a life-threatening emergency

Final Thoughts

While coping with PTSD can be difficult, there are many types of therapeutic, psychopharmaceutical, and lifestyle interventions that can help manage PTSD symptoms in patients. Psychotherapy is typically the most recommended treatment, but remember that it can take some time to find the right fit, so do not be discouraged if the first few people are not the best match. Along with different forms of CBT-focused therapy, medications can also help manage the changes in brain chemistry associated with PTSD, thereby improving symptoms for patients. The effects of therapy and medication can be maximized further when combined with lifestyle changes, self-help interventions, and other techniques such as trauma-focused yoga. Managing PTSD can be difficult, but it is never too late to find the right treatment.