Signs Of PTSD We Should All Be Aware Of

You Get Flashbacks

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This is they type of PTSD that we often see fantasised in television and film but it is realistic, and it can be a horrendous thing for someone to go through. Especially if the flashback they're having takes them back to particularly distressing time in their life like a war or death of someone they love.

You're Having Nightmares

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As a child we can get used to having nightmares, and they never ever get any more enjoyable for ourselves. We might even feel some embarrassment in admitting we have nightmares as an adult. They can be very distressing for PTSD sufferers and of course they don't get enough sleep.

Constant Negative Thoughts

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A sufferer of PTSD is likely to be stuck in a recurring cycle of negativity, they'll be constantly asking themselves questions that mean they can't move on from where they are in life. Like if they could have done anything different which can lead to them feeling guilty or shameful.

 Constantly Sweating

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Another sign of PTSD is the uncontrollable need to sweat; this is likely to occur as a result of these flashbacks and nightmares that you may be having as well as the permanent feeling of stress (and distress) that can overcome a sufferer. These feelings are unlikely to go away easily.

Emotional Distress At Stimulus

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Often, sufferers of PTSD might find themselves becoming extremely distressed at certain stimulus that may remind them of their own traumatic event. For example, some mothers who suffer a miscarriage might become emotionally distressed when they see a baby or hear a baby crying.

Avoiding Talking About The Event

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Just as many of us would do when something bad happens to us, we might try to avoid any discussion around the topic. This is emphasised even more in PTSD sufferers as they know that there's a chance that any discussion can lead to the flashbacks or emotional distress we've already mentioned.

Avoiding Specific Places

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As we said before, certain stimulus can cause some horrific emotional distress with PTSD patients. Not only does this have to be a person or a sound, but a person might avoid specific places. An example would be if someone lost a parent at the hospital, they might then avoid all hospitals at the risk of distress.

Negative Thoughts About The World

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Not only might you have negative thoughts about yourself or what you could have done differently, you might develop negative thoughts about other people too. You might lose hope in the good other people can bring or not believe that anyone else is able to help you.

Lack Of Belief In The Future

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A well known issue with PTSD patients is the lack of belief and hopelessness they have about what could be coming next for them in life. They may be so stuck in the past as a result of all the issues that they've suffered from that in their eyes their isn't a hope of something positive happening after.

Isolating Yourself

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Not only can PTSD patients avoid conversations about their incident, they might avoid all conversation altogether. This is known as emotional numbing, the sufferer may isolate themselves from everyone else and avoiding any scenario where they might be involved in a social interaction.

Not Enjoying Your Normal Activities

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Part of this self-isolation and withdrawal from social situations means they're also likely to avoid any activities that they used to enjoy prior to their event. Often this occurs because they now find it hard to enjoy things that they used to and so instead they withdraw themselves from these as well.

Insomnia

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The nightmares will obviously have something to do with insomnia, however this also occurs due to something known as hyperarousal. This causes the patient to be constantly on edge and so unable to relax when they finally get in to their bed. They are often prescribed with some sleeping pills to help with this.

Feeling Irritable

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Irritability is another sign of PTSD that occurs as a result of hyperarousal. Similarly to when they're trying to sleep, they may also be unable to relax when they're trying to get about their day. Likely being unable to concentrate on whatever is going on around them.

Memory Issues

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Some people who suffer with PTSD might find they struggle to remember things from before the event, and particularly the important aspects of the event. Studies have shown that loss of memory around the event is down to the brain trying to block out memories that are particularly distressing.

You Feel Alone

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I suppose this comes hand in hand with the isolation of yourself from social situations. But, as a PTSD sufferer this might be out of your own emotional control. The feeling of loneliness may come from the detachment of yourself from friends and family. They're always going to be there to help you though.

Being Unable To Remain Positive

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This is slightly different to always having negative thoughts, as in this scenario the sufferer might actually be trying to have some positive thoughts but they physically can't. For example, they might be speaking to people they love or going to places they enjoy but still struggling to enjoy it.

Being Easily Frightened

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Another sign of PTSD is becoming more easily frightened or surprised by things that might not typically affect you. This can be as a direct result of the event that caused the PTSD or simply just being more on edge. Stuff like bangs when things are dropped might terrify you out of nowhere.

Feeling On Guard For Danger

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In this case, the sufferer might feel on edge or at danger in situations where they're ultimately very safe. Again, this is probably a direct result of whatever it is that has happened to them; this happens especially in situations where the patient's incident was also a surprise to them.

Having The Urge To Drink

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Often, sufferers of PTSD can spiral into a pattern of self-destructive behaviour. One of the most common ways for this to happen is through the heavy abuse of alcohol. This is never going to make anyone feel better, but it can be a way for people to calm their nerves.

Illegal Substance Abuse

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You should never abuse illegal substances, but this is another tactic that some PTSD sufferers take in order to alleviate some stress. This is definitely another piece of self-destructive behaviour that is only likely to delay any rehabilitation you could go through to tackle your PTSD.

Angry Outbursts

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Another possibly symptom of PTSD is some out of nature, aggressive behaviour and angry outbursts. These might come as a result of them feeling unable to change the way they feel about what has happened to them, and can also coincide with their feelings of negativity and irritability.

Re-Enacting The Event

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This is more common in children who suffer from PTSD, although adults can suffer from something pretty similar. Often children might be seen using their toys or objects in their vicinity to re-enact the event that has caused them to suffer from PTSD. It isn't known why that they do this however.

Losing Your Job

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Of course, all of these symptoms could have a big impact on your daily life and you might end up seeing you fall out of love with your job, or simply become less efficient within your employment. If issues aren't mitigated against then it is very possible that you could lose your job under these circumstances.

Feeling Depressed

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I suppose we've touched upon this a few times already, but depression is something that can completely overcome someone with PTSD. This can happen to the point where sufferers may require to be watched upon at all times, sometimes in institutions to avoid them doing something horrible.

Intrusive Thoughts

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Intrusive thoughts can attack your mind and tease you in to doing things that you probably wouldn't have done in any other scenario. These thoughts are expected to be what is behind causing people to turn to alcohol, drugs or self-harming; they're basically looking for another way out or way to relieve pain.

Becoming Reckless

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This can also coincide with those intrusive thoughts, some incidents have occurred in which the alcohol consumption of a PTSD patient has been so severe that they have become incredibly reckless. The last thing you want to do when you're drunk is get behind the wheel, but reckless behaviour is common in PTSD sufferers.

Anxiety

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Some people with PTSD begin to suffer from some physical symptoms that resemble and actually can be a sign of anxiety. These signs often come in the form of: headaches, dizziness, stomach aches and chest pains; all of which tend to only add to a person's irritability.

A Lower Libido

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As we now now, relationships can struggle to thrive when a person with PTSD is involved and that counts for friends, family and also partners. It is likely that a PTSD sufferer isn't going to have a particularly high sex drive, this is again down to their lack of emotion and trust in others.

You Probably Can't Drive

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If you're a licensed driver then you might have some problems when it comes to driving your car. Not because it's particularly a problem affecting the person, but you might be required to take a test in order to ensure you are in a safe enough position to drive a vehicle!

Consult A Professional

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We are not professionals, and this article can not diagnose you with any mental disorders. Self diagnosis is dangerous, so if you think you show signs of having PTSD, consult a doctor or a professional. They can give you a proper diagnosis, and advise the next steps if you should need it.

Body Dysmorphia

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Body dysmorphia can see you having intrusive thoughts over 'flaws' on your body, whether they are things that are there that you are obsessing over, or you're imagining flaws you don't have. There have been some links between people who have been through a traumatic event, and have body dysmorphia later in life.

Physical Pain

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PTSD is very much a mental struggle as we know, but you could also get physical pain as a result of the trauma. When you have PTSD, you can very much be 'taken back' to stressful events through flashbacks and have your flight or fight kick in. This can put stress on your body, let muscle tensing, and over time this can lead to physical aches and pains.

Withdrawing From Things You Enjoy

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You may become socially isolated and withdrawn in general, having less patience for things you don't want to do like grocery shopping or general chores. But you could also end up withdrawing from things you really enjoy and really want to do, because staying inside just feels safer.

Withdrawing From People You Love

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This can also apply to withdrawing from people you love, like friends and family, which is why PTSD can take its toll on your relationships. You may find you do want to see the person but you don't feel safe leaving the house, or meeting up with them in a public place.

Becoming Distressed At Small Reminders

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You might not be actively thinking about the traumatic event, and you might not be having full on flashbacks, but there could be one tiny, unrelated thing that makes you think of the event when you're out and about, and this can make you seriously distressed.

Trembling

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You could also get the shakes and trembles after a traumatic event, particularly in your hands and fingers. This could happen pretty much all the time, or you could start to tremble after something reminds you of the event, or during a moment of panic until the trembles calm down.

Feeling Sick

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Feeling really nauseous can also be a sign, especially during those moments of panic or when you're really thinking about the event. You could also feel really sick if you're put through something that makes you uncomfortable because it reminds you of what happened to you.

Panic Attacks

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It's also very common to have full blown panic attacks if you've been through something seriously stressful in your past. These may come on without warning (and you may never have had them before the event), or they could be triggered by something which reminds you of the event.

Getting Upset Very, Very Easily

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You're going to be very sensitive - emotionally, mentally and physically - if you have PTSD, which is why it might be that the tiniest little thing can really distress you and set you off. It could be something someone says, or something that happens, but it doesn't take much.

Struggling To Get To Sleep

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We've mentioned that nightmares can be a big thing in people with PTSD, but you may also have a problem with falling asleep in the first place. You might find it near impossible to drop off, you might have full insomnia or you're tossing and turning for an hour or two.

Struggling To Stay Asleep!

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And if you actually do manage to fall asleep, your next battle is trying to stay asleep! You might not remember the last time you had a full night's sleep without waking up whatsoever. You might be woken up by nightmares, or because you're on high alert with hypervigilance because of PTSD.

You Can't Concentrate On Simple Tasks

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Focusing is very difficult for someone with trauma, but it doesn't just apply to the big tasks. You might find it hard to concentrate even on the simplest thing, like focusing for a few moments on making a bowl of cereal. Your brain is too distracted, jumpy and tired for focusing on anything.

If Someone Makes You Jump, It's The Worse Thing In The World

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The worst thing you can do to someone with trauma and PTSD is actively try to make them jump or startle them, even as a joke. But it might even be that you jump at the simplest things where people don't mean to make you jump. It could be the noise of a can opening or a door gently closing.

You Might Even Get Aggressive

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It's not your fault if you've become aggressive after what you went through, as it can be a defence mechanism, but it can be distressing if you were never an aggressive person before. You may angrily lash out in a verbal way, or even consider getting physical if you're overwhelmed with aggression.

General Symptoms Of Anxiety

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Anxiety can also be normal in people with PTSD, and there are many different symptoms of anxiety. You might experience a general sense of unease, have anxiety attacks as well as panic attacks, or even develop new phobias because you feel anxious about doing certain things.

You Might Even Be Afraid Of Falling Asleep

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Some people have PTSD so bad that they're even afraid of falling asleep, because they think they'll either die in their sleep, be attacked in their sleep or be more vulnerable so their anxiety kicks in and their heart starts racing. And when you're afraid of going to sleep, you're more likely to force yourself to stay awake, and then feel worse.

You Feel Like You Always Have To Keep Busy

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Even if you're struggling with being able to focus on simple tasks, that doesn't mean you don't try! You might feel an overwhelming need to keep busy, because you want to keep your mind distracted, or because you feel like if you'll stop them other symptoms will kick in.

You Barely Remember Anything About The Traumatic Event

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It's very normal for our brains to cancel out memories of events that have hurt us or being very traumatic - your body can be protecting you if you're struggling to remember specific details about the event, or if your memory is a little hazy. You may even remember details wrong.

You Feel Numb

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It's also normal to feel nothing at all - to feel numb to everything around you, and you might not even feel any negative emotions either, like anger or anxiety. You just feel nothing. This can also be your brain and body shutting off emotions - because letting emotions in means thinking about the trauma.

You Don't Know How To Express Affection

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Trauma can also leave you being unable to express positive emotions and affection to other people. This can be because you're on your guard, and opening yourself up in an affectionate way can make you vulnerable - which you refuse to be when you're so on edge!