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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder


Symptoms & Signs

What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?

Symptoms of PTSD fall into three main categories.

The first is reliving the event in one or more of the following ways:

  • flashbacks, or reliving events as if they are occurring right now
  • hallucinations, which means seeing or hearing things that are not real
  • illusions, or misinterpretation of things that are seen or heard
  • memories of the event
  • physical sensations that recall the event
  • recurrent dreams of the event
  • severe emotional responses to new events similar to the traumatic event
  • The second category involves a tendency to avoid reminders of the event. This tendency can cause the following symptoms:

  • avoidance of activities, places, or people that might bring the event to mind
  • avoidance of thoughts, feelings, or talking about the event
  • difficulty maintaining healthy family, social, or job relationships
  • feelings of detachment or emotional distance from others
  • loss of interest in daily activities
  • a sense of a shortened future
  • survivor guilt, or feeling guilty about surviving when others did not
  • trouble recalling key parts of the event
  • The third category involves a higher level of arousal and anxiety than before the trauma. This level can cause the following symptoms:

  • agitation, or feelings of restlessness
  • alcoholism and drug abuse
  • chest pain
  • difficulty concentrating
  • dizziness
  • an exaggerated startle response
  • excessive sweating
  • headache
  • irritability
  • memory loss
  • nausea
  • persistent anxiety
  • sleep disorders
  • suicide attempts or acting out
  • trouble managing anger

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