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PTSD Symptom

     

People who have been exposed to traumatic experiences may notice any number of symptoms in almost any combination. People respond in different ways to extreme trauma. However, for those who do, PTSD symptoms usually appear within several weeks of the trauma, but some people don't experience symptoms until months or even years later.

The typical symptoms of PTSD include:

  • flashbacks - repeated vivid reliving of the trauma in the form of intrusive memories, often triggered by a reminder of the trauma
  • insomnia , usually accompanied by nightmares, the nocturnal equivalent of flashbacks
  • emotional blunting , emptiness or 'numbness', alternating with .
  • intense anxiety at exposure to events that resemble an aspect of the traumatic event, including anniversaries of the trauma
  • avoidance of activities and situations reminiscent of the trauma
  • emotional detachment from other people
  • hypervigilance with autonomic hyperarousal and an enhanced startle reaction.

This clinical picture represents the severe end of a spectrum of emotional reactions to trauma, which might alternatively take the form of an adjustment or mood disorder. The course is often fluctuating but recovery can be expected in two-thirds of cases at the end of the first year. Complications include depressive illness and alcohol misuse. In a small proportion of cases the condition may show a chronic course over many years and a transition to an enduring personality change.

Symptom of PTSD include:

  • relieving the trauma in the form of dreams or flashbacks,
  • there are also insomnia,
  • People with PTSD also experience emotional numbness and sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, and irritability or outbursts of anger.
  • You may feel angry and unable to care about or trust other people,
  • Feelings of intense guilt are also common.
  • PTSD sufferers may feel emotionally detached, withdraw from friends and family, and lose interest in everyday activities.
  • You may feel very upset when something happens without warning,
  • a lack of emotional expression,
  • People with PTSD may have low self-esteem or relationship problems or may seem disconnected from their lives.
  • a tendency to avoid things which used to give pleasure - symptoms of depressive episodes and
  • You are always on the lookout for the danger.

Physical symptom of PTSD includes:

  • headaches,
  • gastrointestinal distress,
  • immune system problems,
  • dizziness,
  • chest pain, or
  • discomfort in other parts of the body are common in people with PTSD.

Research is continuing to reveal factors that may lead to PTSD. People who have been abused as children or who have had other previous traumatic experiences are more likely to develop the disorder. In addition, it used to be believed that people who tend to be emotionally numb after a trauma were showing a healthy response; but now some researchers suspect that people who experience this emotional distancing may be more prone to PTSD.

People with PTSD tend to have abnormal levels of key hormones involved in response to stress. When people are in danger, they produce high levels of natural opiates, which can temporarily mask pain. Scientists have found that people with PTSD continue to produce those higher levels even after the danger has passed; this may lead to the blunted emotions associated with the condition.

Research to understand these neurotransmitter systems involved in memories of emotionally charged events may lead to the discovery of drugs or psychosocial interventions that, if given early, could block the development of PTSD symptoms.

Ptsd Basics - is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened.

PTSD Symptom - The symptoms persist for at least one month and significantly disturb the patient's social or occupational functioning. The clinical course is variable. Symptoms may emerge immediately and disappear after several months, or they may take longer than six months to appear and last indefinitely.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR and PTSD


Sometimes crying or laughing
are the only options left,
and laughing feels better right now.




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