PTSD: How to Support a Loved One

When someone you care about has experienced trauma, it's easy to feel lost: you don't know what to say, what to do, or how to avoid making things worse. Dr. Saulitis outlines several key principles for meaningful support.

The most important thing — don't leave them alone

This matters most in moments of acute shock. Simply being present when something devastating happens is already protective in itself. Isolation in those moments significantly worsens the outlook.

Being on their side is not the same as keeping promises

What a person with PTSD needs is not formal reassurances — it's the feeling that you are genuinely involved and doing everything you can. They need to sense they haven't been abandoned, that you are putting your whole self into trying to help, even when you can't fix everything.

Don't minimise symptoms or rush recovery

PTSD can look different in different people: flashbacks, panic responses in specific situations, rapid exhaustion, unexplained physical decline. The person often doesn't realise what is happening to them — they just keep going, as if everything is fine. Loved ones should resist the urge to pressure or dismiss: "just pull yourself together" does not work here.

Help them reach a professional

Working through genuine PTSD alone is rarely possible. One of the most concrete things you can do as a loved one is help the person find and actually get to a professional — a psychiatrist or therapist they can trust and open up to.