Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that sometimes develops after someone experiences or witnesses a deeply distressing event. Board-certified nurse practitioner Patrick Ollar, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, provides telehealth psychiatric care through Life Balance Health for patients in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Yuba City, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Portland, Oregon. He offers evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment planning for PTSD in a supportive, judgment-free setting. Call Life Balance Health or book online today to discuss PTSD treatment.
PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after a very stressful, frightening, or distressing event. Some people develop PTSD after a single experience, while others develop it after repeated trauma over time.
PTSD symptoms often include:
Some people also feel emotionally numb, detached from other people, or constantly alert for danger. PTSD symptoms can affect relationships, work, sleep, and everyday routines, which is one reason early support matters.
PTSD can develop after many different kinds of trauma. Common examples include:
PTSD can also follow long-term or repeated trauma rather than one single event. This condition, known as complex PTSD, is common in people who have endured years of emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse.
Not everyone responds to trauma in the same way. Patrick takes an individualized approach, looking closely at how symptoms manifest in your daily life before recommending treatment.
How does PTSD treatment work?
Patrick starts PTSD treatment with a careful psychiatric evaluation. The practice reviews symptoms, trauma history, sleep, mood, daily functioning, and related concerns such as anxiety, depression, or substance use before building a treatment plan.
PTSD treatment often includes therapy, medication, or both. Trauma-focused therapy helps patients process what happened, reduce distress, and develop healthier responses to trauma reminders.
Two common approaches are trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).
This form of CBT helps you identify and change thought patterns linked to the trauma.
EMDR involves recalling aspects of the traumatic experience in a structured way while using guided eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation.
Medication may also help with PTSD symptoms such as anxiety, depression, sleep problems, or ongoing hyperarousal.
You should seek PTSD treatment if trauma symptoms don’t ease, start worsening, or begin affecting sleep, work, relationships, and other aspects of daily life.
Life Balance Health provides psychiatric assessment, medication management when appropriate, and follow-up all via telehealth to help patients stay engaged in their care and make steady progress.
Call Life Balance Health today or use the online scheduling feature to request a PTSD evaluation.