PTSD What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

WHAT IS PTSD?

You feel on edge. You experience recurring nightmares. Sudden noises make you jump. You’re staying at home more and more... Could you have PTSD?

If you have experienced severe trauma or a life-threatening event, you may develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress, commonly known as posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD, shell shock, or combat stress. 

Maybe you felt like your life or the lives of others were in danger, or that you had no control over what was happening. You may have witnessed people being injured or dying, or you may have been physically harmed yourself.

What are the signs of PTSD?


A wide variety of symptoms may be signs you are experiencing PTSD:

• Feeling upset by things that remind you of what happened
• Having nightmares, vivid memories, or flashbacks of the event that make you feel like it’s happening all over again
• Feeling emotionally cut off from others
• Feeling numb or losing interest in things you used to care about
• Becoming depressed
• Thinking that you are always in danger
• Feeling anxious, jittery, or irritated
• Experiencing a sense of panic that something bad is about to happen
• Having difficulty sleeping
• Having trouble keeping your mind on one thing
• Having a hard time relating to and getting along with your spouse, family, or friends

“When stress brought on flashbacks, I dealt with them by drinking them away. I considered it recreational drinking, but really I was self-medicating.”

It’s not just the symptoms of PTSD but also how you may react to them that can disrupt your life. You may:

• Frequently avoid places or things that remind you of what happened
• Consistent drinking or use of drugs to numb your feelings
• Consider harming yourself or others
• Start working all the time to occupy your mind
• Pull away from other people and become isolated