Older Adults

Sleep Problems and PTSD

Many people have trouble sleeping at times. But it's more likely after you have experienced an accident, war, assault, disaster, or other traumatic event. Trouble sleeping and nightmares are two symptoms of PTSD.

You may find you are sleeping too little, or too much, or having nightmares. If these symptoms don't go away, get worse over time, or interfere with your daily life, it might be time to see a doctor.

Sleep Issues:

  • Sleep disturbances are reported in over 70% of individuals with PTSD. 

by Josh Lewin

Josh LewinI have learned that anxiety and depression go hand-in-hand, and there is no shame in having either — although it’s tough for many people to get their arms around that concept. When I struggled with both in my last couple years as the Texas Rangers’ baseball play-by-play announcer, the few people in whom I confided expressed genuine shock. “Depressed? About what? You’ve got a great job! Legions of adoring fans! A wonderful family!

by L.A. Nicholson

L.A. Nicholson GAD Story of HopeMy descent into GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) began the morning I received the call bringing the news of my mother's accidental death. It was the same week that my husband was laid off. We had moved across the country for his new job, and eight months later he was laid off. After only two months out West, we moved back, and I had a nervous breakdown.

by Holly Kammier

Holly Youmans Kammier GAD Personal StoryI've suffered from generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, coupled with panic attacks for more than two decades.

My first major attack struck during a bathroom break in the 7th grade. As I fought waves of nausea and shaky confusion, I feared I was the same as my bipolar father.

OCD in Adults

The essential features of adult OCD are recurrent, unwanted obsessions or compulsions that are severe enough to be time consuming; that is, they take more than one hour a day — or they cause marked distress or significant impairment in your daily life.

Funding for this video provided by a grant from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)

by Janet Singer

Janet Singer-OCD-personal-storyMy son Dan was in college, and by the time I arrived at his dorm, he had not eaten in more than a week. He was spending hours at a time sitting in one particular chair, hunched over with his head in his hands, doing absolutely nothing. He could not enter most of the buildings on campus and could only do minimal amounts of work at specific times. To top it all off, he was self-injuring.