Understanding PTSD and trauma
Traumatic experiences can affect a person long after the immediate event. Many people have temporary stress reactions; not everyone who experiences trauma develops post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. PTSD involves persistent symptoms following a traumatic event that cause significant distress or interfere with daily life. Trauma-related concerns deserve attention even when a person does not meet criteria for this particular diagnosis.
What daily life can feel like
Memories or nightmares may interrupt sleep, and reminders can bring strong emotional or physical reactions. You might feel continually on guard, startle easily, or find it difficult to concentrate. Some people avoid reminders of what happened; others feel detached, numb, irritable, or burdened by guilt. The experience can change over time and does not look the same for everyone. A person can understand that danger has passed while still having distressing reactions to reminders.
How trauma related symptoms can affect your life
Sleep disruption and vigilance can leave little energy for school, work, parenting, or relationships. Avoidance may make familiar activities or places harder to approach. Feeling disconnected can affect closeness with people you care about. Shame or fear of being misunderstood may make it difficult to talk about what is happening. These reactions do not define your identity, and a clinical conversation should leave room for your strengths as well as your concerns.
How assessment and care can help
Assessment considers current symptoms, timing, functioning, safety, and other concerns such as depression or substance use. A trauma-informed approach respects choice and helps establish trust. Evidence-based PTSD treatment may involve specific psychotherapies, medication, or both. Trauma-informed psychiatric care is not the same as providing a particular trauma-focused therapy. When specialized psychotherapy or a different level of care is appropriate, referral and coordination may be part of the plan.
For adults, evidence-based trauma-focused therapies include cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and EMDR. Adolescents need developmentally appropriate treatment. These are educational examples, not services promised within this practice; an appropriate therapy referral can be discussed.
Exploring care at Mountain States Psychiatry
Our proposed Colorado practice serves adults and adolescents ages 12 and older through psychiatric assessment and individualized medication-management planning. You can begin by describing the effects you want help with; you do not have to share every detail of an experience on a website or in an initial inquiry. Care should make space for your questions and preferences while assessing clinical needs. New Patients explains the proposed process, and Insurance and Billing lists self-pay fees. This preview does not accept appointment requests. Educational information cannot establish a diagnosis or guarantee that outpatient care is suitable.
Assessment & additional information
Comprehensive assessment and clinical tools
A comprehensive psychiatric evaluation starts with your story, not a questionnaire score. We review symptoms, daily functioning, medical and treatment history, sleep, substance use, safety, and possible overlapping conditions. An assessment also considers the timing and context of symptoms, strengths, supports, and what you want treatment to address.
Age-appropriate screening and symptom-rating tools can help clarify concerns and track progress, but they do not replace clinical diagnosis. A positive screen is not a diagnosis, and a low score does not necessarily rule out a concern. Tools are selected according to the person, clinical question, age range, and applicable licensing requirements.
Examples for clinician selection include PHQ-9 for depression and GAD-7 for anxiety, with developmentally appropriate alternatives when needed. Adult ADHD assessment may use an ASRS; adolescent assessment may draw on youth, parent, and teacher ratings. OCD severity may be tracked with Y-BOCS or CY-BOCS, rather than treating either as a stand-alone diagnostic screen.
For trauma symptoms, the adult PCL-5 or an age-validated youth measure may help assessment and monitoring. Adult alcohol or drug screening may use AUDIT-C or DAST-10; CRAFFT is designed for ages 12 through 21. Bipolar assessment emphasizes the history of mood episodes, sleep, energy, functioning, and changes over time, rather than relying on a screening score.
These are examples under clinical review, not a committed testing battery or a promise that every patient will receive every measure. No instrument questions are reproduced here. Any direct testing, consent, records review, and caregiver involvement will be selected and explained as appropriate.
Supporting resources
Further reading
Educational resources reviewed October 27, 2026. This information is not a diagnosis or an individualized treatment recommendation.
Planning your next step
New Patients · Insurance & Billing
This remains a design preview. Appointment requests, intake, and payments are not enabled.