What Are the Warning Signs of PTSD?

At least 70% of us will experience an extremely traumatic event sometime in our adult life. The fast is, of this 70%, one-fifth will develop PTSD.

PTSD is no joke, there’s even an entire month of the year dedicated to the awareness of PTSD and what others can do to help.

But understanding PTSD and being able to identify the warning signs of PTSD are absolutely key in the journey of diagnosis and healing for those who suffer from it.

There is no “one event” that triggers post-traumatic stress disorder, so your best bet is to know the warning signs, keep reading to find out what they are.

What Is PTSD?

Let’s break this down, what is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder in its simplest explanation is an anxiety disorder caused by a specific stressful or distressing event.

We’ve all seen the movies depicting the war heroes that come home and suffer from PTSD as a result of war, it’s exactly that, but it can be due to a variety of events. An event that can trigger PTSD in one person, may not do so in another.

Treating PTSD is a complicated process, places like VA rehab and other reputable centers can help you confirm your suspicions if you’ve identified the warning signs.

The Warning Signs Of PTSD

Let’s mention the movies again, briefly. PTSD is not always people losing their minds or acting out, like the movies may lead us to believe.

There are so many signs that we can look out for, particularly ones that may not be that obvious to people outside of your inner circle.

1. Nightmares And Intrusive Thoughts

One identifier of PTSD is the recurrence of nightmares or suffering from intrusive thoughts.

Intrusive thoughts can take a person by surprise in a similar setting to the one that triggered the PTSD, for example, a person may have been attacked by a large dog, and simply walking by another large dog can bring on very real thoughts of panic.

2. Avoiding Places And Events

With this warning sign, you’d need to know the person quite well in order to identify it.

This usually happens with complete avoidance of a place or event that is too similar to the incident itself. For example, the person may have been in a boat collision, so now, you’ll find they avoid any event that has to do with water or any place near a body of water. This will happen repeatedly.

3. Loss Of Interest

This can be evident if the person starts to lose interest or passion for something that they previously enjoyed. Someone who liked to paint and no longer has an interest in it.

Even the loss of interest and effort in their work can be a warning sign when joined with this.

Overcoming PTSD Together

Understanding and identifying the warning signs of PTSD is the first hurdle in a long journey towards acceptance and healing.

The very next thing that can be difficult is getting someone to accept the help that they are being offered which can be a huge obstacle too.

Don’t go just yet, we’ve got tons more great content on mental health, simply type mental health into the search bar and read to your heart’s content.