5 Warning Signs of PTSD
Are physical wounds the only concern after a trauma or accident? No! Wounds that occur deep within our body have more to speak than those bleeding on the outside. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a hidden trauma, which five crucial warning signs can best identify. Get an insight into the alarming signals to counteract PTSD within yourself or any of your beloved ones.
1) Vivid Flashbacks
Getting nightmares or flashbacks of the traumatic incident? It can be a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder! It is not you who cannot get past the event but the memory of the accident that is sticking onto you. These episodes are associated with headaches, chills, palpitations, and panic attacks.
2) Avoiding External Reminders
Do you walk away when someone talks about the traumatic event? This is because the mere thought of the accident itself instills fear. You will also try to avoid engaging in activities that caused the trauma. Road traffic accidents might give you the fear and avoidance to drive a vehicle. If PTSD is due to any sexual assault, you will try avoiding sexual acts with your beloved partner too.
3) Mood Swings
Post-traumatic stress disorder does not keep you any far from mood swings. Be aware of the changes that happen within yourself. You will start experiencing emotional variations such that the activities you were interested in previously might not seem captivating now. You will also have a sense of emotional detachment from friends and family. Suicidal thoughts also might pop up due to the humiliation or guilt from the traumatic event.
4) Changes in Behavior
Is the way you respond changing? Also called ‘arousal symptom,’ it is an essential indicator of post-traumatic stress disorder. Your behavior intensifies, and you start reacting in a strange way. You will experience frequent anger outbursts, frustrations and feel insecure.
5) Life-Threatening Event
Do you perceive the traumatic event to be a life-threatening one? Although everyone around you takes the accident on a lighter note, you deliberately believe it might have cost your life. Post-traumatic stress disorder gives you the feeling of adjudgment that you start having negative thoughts about the event. You will also be engaged in futuristic thinking about what will happen if it occurs again.
Concerned that you or your loved one have these lingering signs for more than a month now? Reach out to a healthcare provider at the earliest. Post-traumatic stress disorder can be counteracted if addressed at the initial stages. If not, it might bring about permanent scars in the emotional well-being of the affected person. PTSD is not something you should be ashamed of; rather, it is something you should be proud of as you have survived the trauma. So, please do not wait for it to break you, and fight it with a smile.
Content published on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek information from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website.
