PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or sometimes it's called Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, or just Traumatic Stress is a set of symptoms that occur after people are traumatized. It's most commonly associated with exposure to horrors during war, but it can come from many other sources as well. Traumas that occur every day include car accidents, other accidents, sexual assaults--rape, incest, etc, physical beating, mugging, robbery, witnessing murder, medical proceedures, natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, also man-made disasters like fires. Trauma symptoms can also come from yelling, threatening, shaming, repeated emotional or verbal abuse--especially during childhood, and especially from parents. Sometimes symptoms appear right after the trauma and sometimes they show up much later. While everyone experiences PTSD differently, there are three main types of symptoms, as listed below:
Re-experiencing the traumatic event
- Intrusive, upsetting memories of the event
- Flashbacks (acting or feeling like the event is happening again)
- Nightmares (either of the event or of other frightening things)
- Feelings of intense distress when reminded of the trauma
- Intense physical reactions to reminders of the event (e.g. pounding heart, rapid breathing, nausea, muscle tension, sweating)
PTSD symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing
- Avoiding activities, places, thoughts, or feelings that remind you of the trauma
- Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma
- Loss of interest in activities and life in general
- Feeling detached from others and emotionally numb
- Sense of a limited future (you don’t expect to live a normal life span, get married, have a career)
PTSD symptoms of increased arousal
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Irritability or outbursts of anger
- Difficulty concentrating
- Hypervigilance (on constant “red alert”)
- Feeling jumpy and easily startled
Other common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
- Anger and irritability
- Guilt, shame, or self-blame
- Substance abuse
- Depression and hopelessness
- Suicidal thoughts and feelings
- Feeling alienated and alone
- Feelings of mistrust and betrayal
- Headaches, stomach problems, chest pain
The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can arise suddenly, gradually, or come and go over time. Sometimes symptoms appear seemingly out of the blue. At other times, they are triggered by something that reminds you of the original traumatic event, such as a noise, an image, certain words, or a smell.
