Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Are thoughts and feelings regarding a life-threatening event that you were unable to deal with at the time upsetting you or creating problems in your life? Do you feel a loss of connection to others?

If your symptoms are extremely distessing to you, tend to disrupt your life, and last more than a few months, it is worth consulting a mental health specialist, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. It is possible that you are living with PTSD.

According to the US Veterans Administration (VA), common PTSD symptoms include:

1. reliving the event (unwelcome memories, frightening flashbacks during which you relive the experience, nightmares) and responding to triggers that bring it up, such as a loud noise (startle response).
2. avoiding people or situations that remind you of the event; feeling       disconnected from others, one’s self and one’s body; keeping constantly       busy so as not to dwell upon it.
3. having more negative thoughts and feelings than before (numbness,       shame or guilt about the traumatic event, sadness)
4. Startling easily; feeling on edge, jittery “keyed up” and finding it hard to relax (hyperarousal); difficulty sleeping.
5. Irritability and feeling out of control, prone to outbursts or temper tantrums.
6. Resorting to drugs and alcohol in an attempt to feel better.
7. Loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities, such as meeting       friends; loss of pleasure.
8. Loss of trust—the world has become a dangerous place and you can no longer trust others.
9.  Sometimes, additional problems manifest themselves and clamor for       attention: anxiety, depression, thoughts of harming oneself or others.

According to Levine (2008), the symptoms that will likely make their first appearance immediately following an overwhelming event include:

• Hyperarousal
• Constriction
• Dissociation and denial
• Feelings of helplessness, immobility or freezing

Levine goes on to list many other possible symptoms, some of which may manifest themselves early on, whereas others, years later. These symptoms (some of which were cited above re: the VA publication, yet too numerous to enumerate here) may come and go or remain stable (for more information, see website article, What is Trauma? Can it be prevented or healed? Part II). In time, symtoms may appear less and less connected with the original trauma. 

A noteworthy symptom that deserves special attention, in part because it may create other problems when left unattended, is the compulsion to repeat or re-enact the actions that caused the problem in the first place. To cite Levine, “we are inextrictably drawn into situations that replicate the original trauma in obvious and less obvious ways.” (2008, p.19). An example may be a sex worker who was abused as a child.

Bear in mind that, more important than the actual symptoms that may manifest themselves, is how you choose to go about resolving them.