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What Are the Symptoms?

Someone who has experienced severe trauma — war, combat, natural disaster, physical or sexual abuse — or witnessed violence, such as murder or physical abuse, may display one or more of these symptoms:

• Repeated flashbacks or recurrent dreams of the event. Children may not remember the whole event, but may be haunted by a single image. They may express their fear by repeatedly playacting an event or action.
• Hypervigilance — a preoccupation with possible unknown threats.
• Frightening or disturbing dreams.
• Trouble sleeping.
• Outbursts of anger.
• Intense distress if exposed to anything resembling the event.
• Efforts to avoid any people or activities that may arouse recollection of the trauma.
• Psychological numbing.
• Inability to relate to others.
• Chronic physical symptoms such as pain, headaches, or irritable bowels.
• In young children: agitated behavior, difficulty concentrating, or developmental regression in such things as toilet training or speech.
• No sense of a future; no expectation of having a family, of having a career, or of living to old age

Call Your Doctor If:

If you've suffered a traumatic experience, it's best to seek help from a mental health professional. Don't wait for symptoms to appear. If you are having symptoms of PTSD, you don't have to keep on suffering. Treatment does help.