Symptoms of PTSD

Symptoms of PTSD-By Luna Sulollari

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition caused by the exposure to one or more traumatic events. After witnessing or experiencing a dangerous, deeply upsetting or life altering event, there can be lasting symptoms that alter the ability to cope with the trauma. If symptoms get worse, last for months or years, and affect the ability to function daily, you may have PTSD.

PTSD presents itself differently for everyone but here are common symptoms to look for. 

Intrusive memories 

One of the hallmark symptoms of PTSD are intrusive memories. Intrusive memories are unwanted, distressing memories of the past traumatic event. These can be accompanied by intrusive thoughts or images that appear at any moment, causing significant discomfort. It may come in the form of a flashback which can feel as if you are reliving the traumatic event. During the flashback, you may be recalling the trauma at the same intensity and detail as when it occurred.  Nightmares can be another trauma response which either replay the traumatic event or present similar themes such as danger, threat or helplessness. Each of these cause a significant level of disturbance and emotional distress impacting your overall quality of life.

Avoidance 

A form of coping intended to reduce the distress associated with the traumatic event. This includes efforts to avoid reminders of the traumatic event such as places, people, conversations, or thoughts. In some cases, you may attempt to deal with their feelings by not trying to feel them at all which is known as emotional numbing. It can lead to isolation from social interactions and relationships, decreasing interest in activities you once enjoyed. These behaviors are coping strategies used to minimize distress but can contribute to ongoing isolation and continuous emotional difficulties. While it can be helpful for the short term, this strategy can interfere with normal functioning and prolong emotional healing. 

Arousal and Reactivity

Following a traumatic event, there is a heightened state of physiological and emotional activation. Examples include being easily startled, feeling tense or on guard, having difficulty concentrating, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, feeling irritable, and having more aggressive reactions. The reason behind these symptoms is that the body's stress response system is dysregulated causing difficulty to self regulate emotions properly. It can lead to significant distress as the “fight or flight” response is triggered in instances where there is no apparent threat. 

Cognition and Mood

Negative changes in thinking can begin or worsen after the traumatic event. Ongoing and common emotions that present are fear, blame, guilt, anger or shame. There is an increase in negative and distorted views about yourself or the world. This includes beliefs such as believing you were responsible for the event or could have presented it. It can also look like believing that things will never get better creating emotions such as hopelessness and despair. It can overall hinder the ability to feel positive emotions and contribute to feeling emotionally numb.