What are the signs of PTSD?!
Question: What are the signs of PTSD!?
I've had three terrible things happen to me in my life, one at age 16, one at age 33 and one at age 34!. I'm 50 now (just FYI, I'm not going thru menopause yet, just wanted to clarify that,) and all three nightmares seem to have come to a head and torment me literally all the time!. I think about them during the day, wake up in the night with panic attacks, all of a sudden have terrible bouts of paranoia, depression, anxiety and anger!. (I'm a very calm, nice and respectful person!.!.!.so this is not my usualy behavior!.)
My psychatrist is sending me to a therapist who specializes in EMDR treatment and PTSD!. I'm just wondering if what I'm experiencing is PTSD!.!.!.it's certainly after the fact!.!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
My psychatrist is sending me to a therapist who specializes in EMDR treatment and PTSD!. I'm just wondering if what I'm experiencing is PTSD!.!.!.it's certainly after the fact!.!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
See section 42, at http://www!.ezy-build!.net!.nz/~shaneris Specific Symptoms of PTSD:
The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others and the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror!.
The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one or more of the following ways:
Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions!.
Recurrent distressing dreams of the event!.
Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated)!.
Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
Physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
The individual also has persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by 3 or more of the following:
Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma
Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma
Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma
Significantly diminished interest or participation in significant activities
Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others
Restricted range of affect (e!.g!., unable to have loving feelings)
Sense of a foreshortened future (e!.g!., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span)
Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated by 2 or more of the following:
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Irritability or outbursts of anger
Difficulty concentrating
Hypervigilance
Exaggerated startle response
The disturbance, which has lasted for at least a month, causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others and the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror!.
The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one or more of the following ways:
Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions!.
Recurrent distressing dreams of the event!.
Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated)!.
Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
Physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
The individual also has persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by 3 or more of the following:
Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma
Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma
Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma
Significantly diminished interest or participation in significant activities
Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others
Restricted range of affect (e!.g!., unable to have loving feelings)
Sense of a foreshortened future (e!.g!., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span)
Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated by 2 or more of the following:
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Irritability or outbursts of anger
Difficulty concentrating
Hypervigilance
Exaggerated startle response
The disturbance, which has lasted for at least a month, causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Well I am definitely not a professional!. However, I have been diagnosed with PTSD!. Some of your symptoms are similar to mine!. Also from what I understand PTSD can be dormant and emerge years later or whenever you encounter a trigger!. For example my triggers are loud noises that resemble gunshots or flahing lights that resemble muzzle flashes!. Once again you should talk to a professional because only they can really tell you for sure!. But if you are having nightmares regularly, flashbacks, trouble sleeping, anxiety and depression there is a good chance that it is PTSD!.Www@Answer-Health@Com