Trigger Warning! Signs of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder!
Most people have heard of the term post-traumatic stress disorder at one time or another, and for most, it is a term that is distant and does not affect them or their environment. Yet post-traumatic stress disorder can affect anyone, and some people even suffer from it without even knowing it. In this article you will learn some possible facets of the not always clear clinical picture that can be related to post-traumatic stress disorder. Please keep in mind that this article is not a substitute for a professional diagnosis and is for informational purposes only.
What is post-traumatic stress disorder?
First, let's clarify what post-traumatic stress disorder is. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness from the stress and somatoform disorders that can occur as a result of trauma. However, post-traumatic stress disorder can often occur in conjunction with other mental illnesses. What can be said about the frequency of post-traumatic stress disorder is that while it can occur in anyone, there are affected people who are more frequently exposed to potentially traumatizing events, for example, because of their job. The more frequently trauma is experienced, the greater the possibility of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. The ability of the psyche to circumvent this or cope with it on its own is called resilience. Incidentally, you don't have to have been part of the traumatic event yourself to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. It is sometimes enough to have witnessed the event, such as a bad traffic accident or a building fire. Let's move on to the eight possible signs:
1. Recurring dreams and memories of a traumatic event.
Individuals who have suffered post-traumatic stress disorder often experience constantly recurring dreams, especially nightmares and memories of the traumatizing event. It is impossible for them to direct their thoughts to anything else during this process. The event is omnipresent in all situations of everyday life. If you regularly feel haunted, so to speak, by a past stressful event, this could indicate post-traumatic stress disorder.
2. Flashbacks
Flashbacks are more than just the memory of the traumatic event. Flashbacks make sufferers relive the traumatizing situation over and over again. The physical as well as emotional pain experienced in the process can be almost identical to the actual event. Flashbacks are perceived by sufferers as extremely stressful; they feel at their mercy because they can occur at any time.
3. Avoidance behavior/trigger avoidance
Traumatized individuals live in a state of constant alert. To avoid unpleasant memories and possible triggers, they become true masters of avoidance behavior. This can include certain people, places, situations, or even songs or smells. The avoidance behavior can be quite obvious and conscious, but it can also lead to unconscious and hidden actions, especially when feelings of shame and guilt come into play.
4. Feelings of isolation and exclusion
A traumatizing incident can change your life suddenly and permanently. For example, post-traumatic stress disorder can cause you to withdraw and feel ostracized. Depending on the type of trauma, it can make you feel unsafe and unstable in that very area of life. For example, people who have suddenly lost their homes may have difficulty settling down or feeling at home somewhere. It can also take place in inner withdrawal, which brings a sense of loneliness in the midst of company
5. Increased irritability, called hypervigilance
As a result of post-traumatic stress disorder, you may become significantly more easily irritable than before the traumatic event. People around you and even you yourself might perceive you as more thin-skinned and perhaps more aggressive, and you also startle more often than before. This also has to do with the lasting stress response your body goes through, as the central nervous system has been reprogrammed by the traumatizer.
6. Feelings of guilt and shame
Although feelings of guilt and shame are completely natural and survival reactions in humans, excessive guilt and shame can be signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. If a traumatic experience has happened to someone, it is important to understand that they are neither to blame nor to be ashamed.
7. Depressive symptoms and anxiety disorders
Those who experience post-traumatic stress disorder may understandably develop depressive symptoms and heightened anxiety behaviors. In addition to persistent sadness and emptiness, as well as feelings of inner numbness, listlessness and addictive behaviors, difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep can also be indicators of a possible post-traumatic stress disorder. Seeking medical or psychotherapeutic help is definitely advisable.
8. Forgetfulness, memory lapses and poor concentration.
A common sign of post-traumatic stress disorder, which may not always occur, but is especially prevalent in severe trauma, is increased forgetfulness compared to the time before the traumatizing event. Affected persons and their relatives often do not immediately recognize the connection here. However, the lasting stress and the psyche's strategy to repress the trauma can lead to memory lapses and poor concentration. Let’s now look at the question of possible concomitant diseases as further symptoms and possible consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder. The points just mentioned are only to be understood as symptoms and thus as an indication that post-traumatic stress disorder could be present. Clarification by a doctor or psychotherapist is absolutely recommended here. By the way, post-traumatic stress disorder can be accompanied by other symptoms or even diseases of so-called comorbidity. For example, depression, not only depressive episodes, as just mentioned, dissociative disorders, personality changes, attachment disorders, addictive disorders, eating disorders and much more. Due to the strong influence of the experience on the central nervous system, post-traumatic stress disorder can even lead to increased mortality. This applies to the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the increased susceptibility to accidents. If parents suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, it can affect their children's attachment behavior. There can also be transgenerational transmission, the passing on of trauma from parents to their children. Here, research has been conducted for some time not only on the influence of upbringing, but also on epigenetics, the passing on of trauma through genes. The support of pediatricians and utilizing therapy can be very helpful here.
Today’s Conclusion
Although post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious mental illness that often affects sufferers for years and decades, this diagnosis alone is not a final sentence for the rest of your life. Post-traumatic stress disorder is not a rare occurrence and can be successfully treated with the help of a psychotherapist. Of course, this path is not easy, but it is possible, and as always, it begins with the first step. That's it for today.