PTSD Treatments and Disability Claims

Posted by Share Lawyers on January 3rd, 2017

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious condition that develops in a person after they experience or witness a traumatic event. Unfortunately, this is something that many veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces deal with regularly. Some of our clients who are suffering from PTSD have heard back from the insurance company that their symptoms or treatment choices are not real and so they their disability claim is denied.

PTSD treatments like psychotherapy and medication have been combined in order to help victims address and improve their symptoms. Some types of psychotherapy treatment, include:

Cognitive Therapy: a ‘talk therapy’ which helps victims recognize cognitive patterns that are keeping them stuck. This directly aims to change the negative or inaccurate ways people suffering from PTSD perceive normal situations.

Exposure Therapy: This is often used in conjunction with exposure therapy and allows victims to safely face trigger situations so as to better cope with it. One approach to exposure therapy is virtual reality.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR combines exposure therapy and guided eye movements, allowing victims to process traumatic memories and change how they would usually react to those memories.

Some other options for treatment include:

Medications that have been used to improve symptoms of PTSD include antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications and medications used to treat insomnia and recurrent nightmares. Virtual Reality is being increasingly considered as an alternative treatment to PTSD. By integrating real-time computer graphics, body tracking devices, visual displays, and other sensory input devices, a person can be immersed in a computer-generated virtual environment. Virtual Reality Exposure (VRE) can allow veterans to re-live trigger situations in a safe, virtual environment.

It is very important to have your doctor’s support as you try different treatments. Document what is or isn’t working with your medical professional to increase your chances of demonstrating your disability to the insurance company.

This information is brought to you by Share Lawyers, Ontario's Leading Disability Insurance Lawyers.

[All names and identifying details have been changed to protect the confidentiality of all involved.]