Key Indicators to Identify Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD can happen after living through an intensely frightening event. But symptoms take time to appear. Knowing the telltale signs aids in quick help-seeking.

 

What Causes PTSD?

First, what causes PTSD? Extreme trauma triggers it, including violence, abuse, disasters, bad accidents, and war. Sexual assault and childhood neglect also set the stage for PTSD later on. The key factor is feeling terrified and powerless during the event. How a person responded at the time does not matter. Freezing in fear or fleeing distress is very common.

 

Why Does PTSD Develop Slowly?

If an awful event causes PTSD, why do symptoms take time to arise? It puzzles many trauma survivors at first. However, PTSD develops because of how memory works. First, the brain focuses totally on survival. Full awareness of harm, pain, or loss comes much later after the threat passes.
 

That is when PTSD can set in. Powerful memories surge back intrusively against one’s will. Avoidance, hypervigilance, and mood changes also result. However, seeking early help upon noticing symptoms can mitigate much suffering.

 

Reexperiencing the Trauma

The first classic symptom group of PTSD is reexperiencing the traumatic event. This happens most often through flashbacks. Flashbacks make it feel like the person is back inside the past danger again vividly. It overrides current reality with echoes of fear responses. This includes racing heartbeats, adrenaline surges, and panic. Nightmares replaying the trauma also indicate PTSD.
 

These rob restorative sleep and leave one exhausted. Intense intrusive memories through other senses occur, too. Sounds, smells, or images related to the trauma trigger anxious reactions unexpectedly.

 

Avoidance

The second giveaway sign of PTSD is avoiding trauma reminders. A reluctance to think or talk about what happened points to this. Purposefully steering clear of related news stories or locations ties into avoidance coping, too.
 

Many also intentionally push memories out of consciousness altogether due to feeling overwhelmed. Numbing emotional responses, in general, may follow trauma as well. Avoiding distress stems from intrusive symptoms but stunts the processing needed for recovery.

 

Hyperarousal

Besides avoidance, trauma survivors also swing in the other direction via hyperarousal. Irritability, angry outbursts, and conflict with others result from PTSD’s hair-trigger responses.
 

The poster child hyperarousal symptom is heightened startle reactions. But insomnia, concentration issues, and constant edginess reflect this cluster, too. Hypervigilance for potential threats persists, whether rational or not. The body’s emergency alarm system got stuck in the “on” position after trauma. Such over-reactions feel uncontrollable later.

 

Negative Thought Shifts

Changes in thinking patterns also help identify PTSD. Survivors judge themselves harshly due to unrealistic guilt about trauma responses. Feelings of doom about having a shortened life span get projected, too. PTSD distorts views of other people’s trustworthiness as well. It may wrongly seem like no one came through to help or others will not understand.
 

Poor memory and a detached “out of body” sensation frequently follow trauma. This, too, is an unhelpful coping method. Inner thought shifts signal deeper processing issues from PTSD. Getting objectively reoriented is crucial.
 

Understanding the four core PTSD symptom types empowers proper help-seeking. Reexperiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal, and negative thought changes do not reflect weakness. They signify unresolved memories and stress reactions interfering with daily wellness.
 

Catching conflict early makes treatment smoother. If you or someone you care about notices these red flags after trauma, seek an evaluation. Counseling and support groups help reprocess experiences stuck in emergency mode gently. There is always hope ahead.
 

For more on PTSD, visit Casey Lester, MD, at our office in Palo Alto or Menlo Park, California. Call (650) 204-1838 to schedule an appointment today.