Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Complex ptsd symptoms, treatments for ptsd, ptsd symptoms

Most individuals can face traumatic situations like terrorism and even though they suffer from the trauma by experiences known symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, they will not develop the disorder. Even though these individuals will always remember the horrifying event, they will be able to move on with their life in a healthy way. If you know someone who has been through a traumatic experience and after a few weeks the symptoms have not gone away, they may need professional help.

The things to watch out for in those who have suffered trauma are being emotionally unavailable, super sensitive and jumpy and reliving the trauma.

When a person has flashbacks, this is like reliving the horror of the original trauma over and over in their mind. Its like replaying the worst scary movie you have ever seen over and over and not being able to stop the images. Veterans are commonly known for this phenomenon. They have left the battlefield but their minds have clung to the sights and sounds and somehow the mind still lives in the horror of the battle. These are the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The 9/11 tragedy produced these kinds of images for the survivors where they continually hear the sound of the crash, the plane plunging into the side of the building, or they live over and over the horror of the escape. This happens in sleep as nightmares but can also take place in the waking hours.

When an individual is having a flashback, it removes them from the reality of where they are in the now and they feel that they are experiencing a time from the past as if it were real and right now. The survivors of the Holocaust commonly have these kinds of flashback images like being forced into concentration camps and the sounds of the sirens hunting them down even three decades later.

Another symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder is being unavailable emotionally. This is hard for the observer to spot but those who suffer from this are very aware. They find it difficult to even express love to their families and stay away from any place, person or activity that reminds them of the trauma they suffered. They find normal daily activities difficult.

Parents who are experiencing emotional detachment have difficulty handling their children. This may cause the children to develop problems in relating to peers or in developing good relationships because they have not formed the natural loving bond with their parent.

Those who become supersensitive to sounds and are very jumpy are referred to as having “hyperactive startle reflex”. The littlest noise or interruption to their concentration will make them “jump out of their skin”. This phenomenon could cause problems with the way they do their jobs. They end up feeling that their surroundings are potentially dangerous to them and this is called “hyper-vigilance”. These individuals may also suffer from sleepless nights waking frequently because of their heightened sense of their environment. Every little noise becomes a major deal.