Calm, Supportive PTSD Treatment Near You in Miramar Beach
Find Steadier Ground With PTSD Treatment in Miramar Beach
After something frightening or painful, it’s normal to feel shaken for a while. When those feelings don’t ease and memories, nightmares, or constant tension keep coming back, it may be post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a health condition that can follow a traumatic event, and it can be treated. It often occurs with anxiety disorders and major depression.
At Sea Breeze Psychiatry, Dr. Larry De Lay, a veteran himself, cares for adults living with trauma. He spent almost five years at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and brings that background to his work. Our team offers medication management, with brief psychotherapy available on request, in person in Miramar Beach or by telehealth for Florida residents. Veterans can also read about our veterans mental health care.
If you’re ready to talk, request an appointment with our team. We’ll listen at your pace and help you think through your options.
Signs of PTSD and Where Support Starts
Understanding PTSD and How We Treat It
PTSD can follow any event that felt frightening, dangerous, or overwhelming, and it changes how a person thinks, feels, and sleeps.
Signs and Causes of PTSD
The signs of PTSD fall into four groups. Re-experiencing includes flashbacks, nightmares, and upsetting memories that feel like they’re happening again. Avoidance means staying away from people, places, or thoughts that bring the event to mind. Arousal and reactivity show up as being easily startled, feeling on edge, sleeping poorly, or having angry outbursts. The last group, changes in thinking and mood, includes harsh beliefs about yourself, ongoing guilt or fear, and feeling cut off from others.
Anyone can develop PTSD, including combat veterans and people who have lived through assault, abuse, accidents, or disasters. The causes of PTSD are a mix of things, including what happened and how much support you had afterward. Personal factors, such as earlier trauma or a family history of mental illness, also play a part. According to the VA National Center for PTSD(opens in a new tab), about 6 out of every 100 people will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
When to See a Provider
Consider seeing a provider if trauma symptoms last longer than a month, feel intense, or get in the way of work, sleep, or relationships. You don’t need to be sure it’s PTSD before you ask for an evaluation.
Signs that it may be time to reach out include:
- Memories or nightmares that keep returning: They feel hard to push away or control.
- Avoiding reminders: You stay away from places, people, or activities tied to the event.
- Feeling constantly on guard: You startle easily, sleep poorly, or feel on edge much of the day.
- Changes in mood or relationships: You feel numb, guilty, or distant from people you care about.
- Using substances to cope: Alcohol or drugs may feel like the only way to get through the day. Our page on addiction treatment explains how we can help.
A psychiatric evaluation is a good place to start. It helps your provider understand what’s going on and what could help.
How Our Team Treats PTSD
PTSD is usually treated with talk therapy, medicine, or both. At Sea Breeze Psychiatry, care centers on medication management, with brief psychotherapy available on request.
Medication management can ease symptoms such as poor sleep, nightmares, anxiety, and low mood. Your provider will explain the options, including side effects, what to expect, and how the plan can change over time. Patients who want to lower a dose or come off a medicine can plan that with their provider.
On request, brief psychotherapy can add steady support to your medicine. Supportive therapy gives encouragement and guidance, while cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at how your thoughts and actions connect.
Veterans can find more about our approach on our veterans mental health page. You can meet with us in person at our Miramar Beach office, and patients who live in Florida can also use telepsychiatry.
Warning Signs That Need Prompt Attention
Reach out soon if trauma symptoms leave you unable to sleep, work, or feel safe. Using alcohol or drugs to cope is another reason to reach out. Hopelessness or thoughts of harming yourself are signs to get help right away.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), or call 911 for an emergency.
We're Here to Help
Frequently Asked Questions
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a condition that can develop after a person lives through or sees a traumatic event. It causes symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, feeling on edge, and changes in mood. These symptoms last more than a month and get in the way of daily life.
Most people feel shaken after a frightening event and slowly feel better. PTSD is more likely when symptoms last longer than a month, feel strong, and interfere with daily life. Common signs of PTSD include nightmares, flashbacks, avoiding reminders, and being easily startled. A provider can help you sort out what you’re feeling.
PTSD is treated with talk therapy, medicine, or both. The VA National Center for PTSD says trauma-focused talk therapies have the most research support and usually last about 8 to 16 sessions. It also names paroxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine as the best-supported medicines. At our practice, treatment for PTSD centers on medication management, with brief psychotherapy on request.
Yes, PTSD symptoms usually begin within three months of the event but can appear later, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Some people recover within six months, while others have symptoms for a year or longer, so help is worth asking for at any point.
No, anyone can develop PTSD, including people who have lived through assault, abuse, accidents, or disasters. Veterans are one group at higher risk, and Dr. De Lay is a veteran himself. You can learn more on our page about veterans mental health care.
Yes, if you live in Florida. Telehealth visits are available with Dr. De Lay and with Sarah Miller, a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). She sees patients by telehealth only, and you can also visit Dr. De Lay in person at our Miramar Beach office.