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Common conditions

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is post-traumatic stress disorder?

What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after a traumatic event. Common symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety. You might feel like you can't stop thinking about the event. If your symptoms get worse and are still interrupting your daily life months later, you might have PTSD. Seeking help and getting treatment for PTSD can make a big difference in reducing your symptoms and improving your overall mental health.

Signs & symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

Symptoms

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms can start anywhere from one month to years after a traumatic event. PTSD symptoms and the duration of the illness can be different for everyone. Symptoms of PTSD  are grouped into four categories.

Reliving the event

Memories of the traumatic event can come back and feel very real and scary. These symptoms might include flashbacks, hallucinations, or nightmares. Often, you would see, hear, or smell something that would trigger this type of symptom.

Avoidance

You may avoid reminders of the traumatic event at all costs. This can include avoiding people, places, activities, items, and situations that trigger a bad memory. Often, avoidance leaves you feeling isolated from family and friends.

Changes in reactivity (increased arousal) 

You might feel like you’re always on edge or in danger. This can also cause you to become overly angry or irritable suddenly. Increased arousal is also associated with trouble sleeping and concentrating, as well as with acting out (drinking and doing drugs excessively, driving aggressively, putting yourself in dangerous situations).

Negative thoughts and feelings

You might begin to think more negatively, feel numb, and lose interest in things you used to enjoy. Some other symptoms could be memory loss around the traumatic event, guilt or shame, or difficulty experiencing any positive emotions like love or happiness.

Symptoms of PTSD in children and teenagers aged 12 to 18 are similar to those seen in adults. PTSD in 12 to 18-year-olds can appear as depression, anxiety, or reckless behavior (substance abuse, running away, or putting themselves in dangerous situations).

What causes post-traumatic stress disorder?

Causes

Studies have shown that people who develop PTSD have abnormal amounts of certain neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the body) and hormones. PTSD can develop after someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event, or after prolonged trauma.

What is a traumatic event?

A traumatic event is anything very dangerous or threatens your sense of safety and well-being. It can be a single event or a long-term experience. A traumatic event might be experienced first-hand or witnessed.

Examples of traumatic events include:

  • Serious accidents
  • Severe injury
  • Sudden illness
  • War
  • Natural disasters
  • Abuse (physical, verbal, or sexual abuse)
  • Being threatened or bullied
  • Sexual and physical assault
  • The death of a friend or family member

Post-traumatic stress disorder risk factors

Anyone who experiences trauma can develop post-traumatic stress disorder. People assigned female at birth are two times more likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic event. 

Additional factors that may make you more likely to develop PTSD:

  • Having experienced trauma in childhood
  • Having a high-risk job, such as military personnel and first responders
  • Having additional mental health problems
  • Substance misuse
  • Missing support from family and friends
  • A family history of mental health problems

How is post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosed?

Diagnosis

Doctors and mental health professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder. Your doctor may also run tests and conduct a physical exam to rule out medical conditions that cause similar physical symptoms. You may be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder if no other condition is causing your symptoms. 
To get a diagnosis of PTSD, the doctor will check if you’ve experienced the following symptoms for one month:

  • One intrusion symptom
  • One avoidance symptom
  • Two negative thinking and mood symptoms
  • Two increased arousal and reactivity symptoms

How is post-traumatic stress disorder treated?

Treatment

After you are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, you can be treated with psychotherapy (talk therapy), medication, or both, depending on your specific needs.

Treatment can include:

  • Depression and anxiety medication (benzodiazepines or antidepressants)
  • Blood pressure medication
  • Counseling (cognitive behavioral therapy or psychotherapy)
  • Strategies to help with coping skills
  • Lifestyle changes to reduce stress
  • Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (guided eye movements while processing traumatic memories)
  • Group therapy
  • Family therapy
  • Prolonged exposure therapy (repeated imagining of the trauma or exposure to triggers in a safe, controlled environment)

FAQs

FAQ

Can PTSD be prevented?

While there isn’t a way to stop PTSD, there are things you can do to help reduce PTSD symptoms after trauma. Seeking support from friends and family, joining support groups, and other protective factors like coping mechanisms can help you heal emotionally and feel better faster.

How can I help someone after a traumatic event?

If a loved one has PTSD, you can help by being available to support and listen to them, offer to attend medical visits with them, and learn about the disorder so you can understand the symptoms and recognize when they may need additional help from a doctor.

How common is post-traumatic stress disorder?

5% to 10% of people who have experienced trauma can develop PTSD.

Can I live a normal life after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder?

Yes. With the right treatment, you can get back to living the life that you want to live after a traumatic event.