PTSD Symptoms

Just the thought of driving a vehicle again can be overwhelming for someone with post accident PTSD.

Can be triggered by a sensory feeling, an emotional memory, a reminder of the event, or even an unrelated stressful experience.

Can be a response to trauma and is a sign of depression or anxiety.

Can be an unconscious protective response to feeling difficult emotions due to anxiety, stress, or trauma.

Can stem from fear or stress and be a response to recent life changes, traumatic events, insomnia or disrupted sleep.

Is frequently associated with a desire to isolate, and with negative feelings such as helplessness and powerlessness.

PTSD related memory loss can make it difficult to remember lists or facts, can make memory seem fragmented or disorganized, or can lead to large gaps in memory altogether.

PTSD affects a number of brain areas specifically the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex. Sufferers report they have a hard time paying attention or concentrating while completing daily tasks. This is often the result of being very anxious.

The symptoms of PTSD can cause problems with trust, closeness, communication, and problem solving. These problems may affect the way the survivor acts with others. In turn, the way a loved one responds to him or her affects the trauma survivor. A circular pattern can develop that may sometimes harm relationships.

PTSD causes a higher level of tension and arousal can become a person’s normal state. The emotional and physical feelings of anger are more intense. The person may often feel on edge, keyed up, or irritable and may be easily provoked.

A sense of guilt is a common feature of PTSD, for a diverse range of reasons. Especially ‘survivors’ guilt’. Other variations include regrets about decisions you made, feeling responsible for the actions of others or guilt that your mental health affects loved ones.

An attempt to avoid distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings as well as external reminders such as conversations about the traumatic event or people or places that bring the event to mind.

PTSD disrupts sleep by increasing the duration of light sleep; decreasing the duration of deep, restorative sleep; and interfering with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the stage of sleep linked to dreaming and nightmares. This often results in insomnia—difficulty falling and staying asleep—and daytime fatigue.

Emotional stress increases cortisol and adrenaline. Studies have shown that someone with PTSD will continue producing these hormones when they’re no longer in danger, which is thought to explain some symptoms such as extreme alertness and being easily startled.