Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. PTSD occurs after witnessing or being involved in a traumatic event. It manifests in a variety of ways, including flashbacks, uncontrollable thoughts, nightmares, and depression. These symptoms often get worse over time becoming debilitating to those who aren’t getting help to overcome it. Let’s look at three of the most common signs of PTSD so you can begin fighting back.
3 Signs You May Suffer from PTSD
There are two main types of symptoms of PTSD: Emotional and physical. Emotional symptoms present in a variety of ways, such as intense guilt, worry, depression, and feeling emotionally numb to the world around you. Physical symptoms also present in different ways, like headaches, sleeplessness, heart flutters, and tension throughout the body.
Three of the biggest signs you may suffer from PTSD include:
- Re-experiencing the traumatic event
- Avoiding reminders of the event
- Increased emotional arousal and anxiety
Re-experiencing the traumatic event and avoiding reminders of the event are the two big indicators you may be suffering from PTSD. By going out of the way to avoid triggers that make you relive the event, you’re affecting telling your brain you don’t want to deal with it. From there, your mind and body begin “dealing” with it in other ways, which leads to other emotional and physical symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Increased emotional arousal and anxiety will manifest, too. This can include angry outbursts, feeling suicidal, and extreme anxiety in even the easiest of circumstances.
Other symptoms to look at for when suffering from PTSD include physical aches and pains, substance abuse, hopelessness, feelings of mistrust, and guilt or shame.
PTSD can have short-term and long-term effects for sufferers. It’s important to determine if you need help after a traumatizing event, even if you’re not presenting emotional or physical symptoms. By going into therapy or on medication from the beginning, you can begin to learn the coping skills you need to overcome issues that arise from symptoms of PTSD.