PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition that develops as the result of experiencing traumatic events that endanger the life of a person. If you’ve ever experienced a traumatic event and think that the effects of living through this event has negatively affected your life, you may be wondering if you’ve developed PTSD. Recognizing the signs of PTSD can help a person determine if they may be experiencing this disorder. So, what are the signs of PTSD that a person can look for to determine if they need help for this mental health condition?

Understanding What PTSD Is

Before one can go about identifying PTSD signs and symptoms in their lives, one must understand what PTSD is. PTSD is a mental health condition that occurs in people who have experienced a traumatic event. It brings about debilitating symptoms that don’t go away with time. Specifically, people with PTSD experience symptoms when they are reminded of the traumatic event they’ve lived through. These reminders may trigger debilitating symptoms of PTSD and make life more challenging to manage.

Traumatic experiences that can result in experiencing symptoms of PTSD may vary and can include experiences like:

• witnessing a violent crime
• being the victim of a violent crime
• being the victim of abuse (neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, etc.)
• surviving a natural disaster (hurricane, flooding, tornado, tsunami, etc.)
• surviving a vehicular crash (car, plane, etc.)
• sudden loss of a loved one or loved ones
• witnessing or surviving war combat

Comorbid Effects That Often Come With PTSD

In many cases, living with the effects of PTSD is not the only health issue that people diagnosed with PTSD may face. The effects of PTSD can be so debilitating to life that this can lead to the development of other health issues. For these people, it’s important to find help that addresses all mental health issues that may be present – not only just PTSD.

Some of the common mental health issues that pair with PTSD can include:

• Depression disorders
• Anxiety and stress disorders
• Chronic pain and/or injury
• OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
• Substance Use Disorder

What are the Signs of PTSD?

The effects of PTSD on a person’s life can impact the way they function on a daily basis. Being able to identify the negative symptoms of PTSD can help an individual recognize their need to get help for this disorder and establish methods to manage their lives in a healthy way. Some of the signs and symptoms of PTSD can include:

• avoidance behaviors
• developing concurring mental health issues (anxiety, depression, etc.)
• losing contact with loved ones
• experiencing chronic pain
• suicidal thoughts and/or actions
• developing psychical health problems (heart disease, autoimmune diseases, etc.)
• development of eating disorders
• issues with personal relationships
• isolation

Getting Help for PTSD

If you or a loved one is struggling with the effects that trauma can have on life, help is available. You don’t have to live with the debilitating effects of PTSD forever. Delray Brain Science works to provide outpatient treatment for people living with the effects of PTSD. This way, people who have dealt with the negative effects that trauma can bring can live healthy lives of mental and physical wellbeing.