Remedy Routes
    condition
    Mental Health

    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

    Mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing traumatic events.

    TL;DR

    PTSD is the nervous system failing to file a traumatic memory as past — so it keeps replaying as present threat. Trauma-focused therapies (EMDR, trauma-focused CBT) have the strongest evidence of any PTSD treatment and can resolve it, not just dampen it. Self-medicating with alcohol worsens the condition reliably. Omega-3s have preliminary evidence as adjuncts only. If symptoms persist beyond a month after trauma, professional treatment is the highest-yield step available.

    Overview

    A condition where a traumatic experience keeps intruding into the present — nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, and avoidance of reminders, persisting beyond a month after the event. PTSD reflects a nervous system stuck in threat mode, and trauma-focused therapy can genuinely resolve it rather than merely manage it.

    Root Causes

    Evidence synthesis: Trauma-focused CBT and EMDR have the strongest evidence base — meta-analyses show large effect sizes, with many patients no longer meeting PTSD criteria after a course, and guidelines worldwide list them as first-line. SSRIs (sertraline, paroxetine) have RCT support as second-line. Alcohol and cannabis reliably worsen PTSD outcomes in longitudinal studies — the relief is short and the condition deepens. Omega-3 fatty acids have preliminary trials (including post-disaster prevention studies) suggesting possible benefit, but evidence is early and adjunctive at best. A clinically important finding: many trauma reactions in the first month are normal acute stress responses that resolve; persistence beyond a month is the threshold for PTSD assessment. Comorbid sleep disruption responds to imagery rehearsal therapy for nightmares.

    How It's Diagnosed

    When to See a Doctor

    See a doctor or mental health professional if flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, or avoidance persist beyond a month after trauma, or if you have thoughts of self-harm. Trauma-focused therapy is the first-line treatment and works well for many people.

    Supplements Studied For This

    Omega-3 Fatty Acids

    Fatty Acid
    Mixed evidence
    Moderate Evidence
    Effectiveness 2/5

    Omega-3s have intriguing early evidence in PTSD — including prevention studies after disasters — but the effect sizes are small and preliminary; trauma-focused therapy can genuinely resolve PTSD, and nothing supplemental should delay it.

    Supporting Research

    Impact of dissociation on the effectiveness of psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: meta-analysis

    2020BJPsych Openn=1,714
    meta_analysis

    Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on psychophysiological symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in accident survivors

    2016Journal of Affective Disorders
    rct

    Pharmacotherapy for sleep disturbances in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): A network meta-analysis

    2024Sleep Med
    meta_analysis

    A multi-centre, double-blind, 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of adjunctive N-Acetylcysteine for treatment-resistant PTSD

    2023Psychiatry Research
    rct

    Psychological therapies for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults

    2013Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviewsn=4,761
    systematic_review

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Do I have PTSD or just a normal reaction to trauma?
    Time is the first filter: intense reactions in the weeks after trauma - nightmares, jumpiness, intrusive memories - are normal acute stress responses that most people process naturally. PTSD is diagnosed when these persist beyond a month and impair your life. Persistence, not intensity, is the marker.
    Can PTSD actually be cured?
    Yes - and this is underappreciated. Trauma-focused CBT and EMDR have the strongest evidence in all of trauma care: meta-analyses show many patients no longer meet PTSD criteria after a full course. It is not about learning to live with it forever; effective treatment helps the brain finally file the memory as past.
    Do supplements help PTSD?
    Nothing proven. Omega-3s have preliminary studies - including giving them soon after trauma - suggesting possible benefit, but the evidence is early and small. Alcohol and cannabis, the most common self-treatments, reliably worsen PTSD over time in longitudinal studies. Effective therapy exists; supplements are a distraction from it.
    Why do I avoid talking about the trauma?
    Avoidance is a core PTSD symptom - the brain treats reminders as threats. But avoidance is also what maintains the condition: the memory never gets processed. That is exactly why trauma-focused therapy, which approaches the memory in a controlled way, resolves what avoidance preserves.

    My Notes

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    This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.