Understanding PTSD in California

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has always existed and affected countless people throughout history. If you read through the primary sources of ancient battles, you’ll occasionally find mention of soldiers who were scarred by combat and exhibited what we now know as the symptoms of PTSD. It wasn’t until the First World War that something resembling the modern diagnosis entered the lexicon of mental health, however. The unique, unrelenting stress of life in the trenches produced innumerable victims of shell-shock, as contemporary experts knew it. While PTSD is generally associated with combat veterans, it doesn’t exclusively or even primarily affect soldiers. In truth, anyone who experiences a traumatic event may develop PTSD.

PTSD in California

PTSD is a disorder where the current public understanding is inadequate, particularly when it comes to non-military PTSD. For instance, the number of Californians who currently suffer from the disorder is currently unknown. However, there are national statistics that indicate 3.5% of all US adults will suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder throughout the year. Current data estimates that one in eleven people will suffer from PTSD throughout their life and that women are twice as likely to develop PTSD as men.

How Someone May Develop PTSD

Experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as sexual assault, the death of a loved one, or family separation may cause someone to develop PTSD. However, any proximity to traumatic events may also be a cause for someone to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. For instance, hearing about the graphic death of a loved one, filing reports related to child trafficking and abuse as a police officer, or serving as a drone pilot in the military may produce PTSD.

Another type of relatively little-known trauma is complex trauma, where the event is actually the combination of many events. A child who suffers long-term neglect or goes through trafficking may not be able to point to a single event as the root of their traumatic stress, but will instead identify the prolonged helplessness of their situation as the cause. This is typically known as cPTSD, a related but different condition.

Measures to Understand and Treat Traumatic Stress in California

Chronic neglect and childhood trauma are not sufficiently prioritized as matters of mental health, but a new initiative is aiming to identify trauma in Californian youth. Californian pediatricians may now give surveys to children asking simple questions, such as whether they’ve been raised by a depressed or otherwise mentally ill caretaker.

By assessing risk factors for childhood trauma, pediatricians in the state will be empowered to identify and treat these issues as early as possible. There are also surveys available for adults to take, which may illuminate traumatic events that the victims dismissed as normal.

Treating PTSD in California

Many people might suffer from PTSD without knowing it. If you or someone you love has suffered from trauma and declined to seek treatment, you’ll always be able to find understanding and support at Alter Behavioral Health.

Depression in California Then and Now

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America has been grappling with a crisis in depression and mental health for years, but it has intensified with COVID. This is particularly true in California, which appears to have been struck harder than the nation on average. However, it’s also possible that it may just be better-reported and understood. California has a long history of being forward-thinking and proactive on the front of mental health, although there’s still plenty more progress to make.

Depression in California

Several state-based nonprofit organizations have been recording data on mental health in California. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Californians have consistently reported rates of worry, hopelessness, and other depression-related symptoms at higher-than-average levels. At times, the disparity can be as large as 45% of Californians reporting negative mental health symptoms compared to 40% of the general adult population.

State-Based Mental Health Treatment

California is unique in that the state and all of its counties have developed plans meant to identify and treat poor mental health as early as possible. This began as early as 1957, the year that the legislature passed landmark legislation in the form of the Short-Doyle Act. Under the Short-Doyle Act, the state allocated funding to local governments to help them combat depression and other mental health issues.

Two decades later, the state government passed a law that required all counties to develop programs for supporting mental health. Many states still have yet to catch up with these progressive measures from the Californian legislature that are roughly 50 years old. Today, the Department of State Hospitals helps local governments support the health of Californian citizens. As a result, you may have access to some depression care even without insurance.

Concern for Mental Health Crosses the Aisle

Today, the general public sees mental health and depression treatment as an unprecedentedly high priority. This concern covers all areas of California and is shared to a similar extent by state Democrats and Republicans. One particular area of concern was the conviction that California doesn’t have enough mental health providers, even as it has many more providers than most states.

In LA County, the Inland Empire, San Joaquin Valley, and the North Valley, a majority of citizens believe that the availability of mental health is inadequate. In the Bay Area and South Coast, this concern amounted to a strong plurality. The governor and legislature are under considerable pressure to meet the expectations of the public and improve access to mental health care for all citizens.

Treat Depression in California

Alter Behavioral Health strives to provide effective, evidence-based treatment for primary mental health disorders. Our experts are well suited to providing various forms of therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy, antidepressant prescriptions, and other options. If you or someone you love is suffering from depression, calling Alter is a good step to take to learn how you can manage and treat this mental illness.