Symptoms of post-traumatic stress?!


Question: Symptoms of post-traumatic stress?
I had a conversation with someone a couple of days ago, and I shared a couple of memories about my teenage-years. One of these memories was about a person who treated me and my siblings really badly.
I told her about an incident where this person held me up against the wall with a hand around my throat, so I couldn't breathe. This happened several years ago, but I told her that I could still recall the incident very clearly, as well as other things this person had done to me and my family. I also told her that this person used to drink these very strong beers A lot, and whenever I came across this particular beer, I would be reminded of him and turn away from the shelf.

One of her thoughts about it was that this person might have caused a mild post-traumatic stress disorder in me. So I just wanted to know from someone who knows first-hand. Was she just exaggerating or could she be right?

Thank you.

Answers:

Don't worry. It definitely isn't PTSD.
It's simple association of a stimulus & a memory. This is much like the experiments Pavlov conducted with dogs. He would bring on a salivation response by ringing a bell. Initially he had rung a bell whenever the dogs were fed. Then he found that just ringing the bell would induce salivation in the dogs even when no food was given. This is simple association.
In the same way, the beer reminds you of this person and your strongest memory of this person is of this incident.
If you were to suffer PTSD, you would be experiencing an almost daily hell of uncontrollable & intrusive memories & flashbacks. Be glad you don't!

PTSD specialist.



Yeah this does sound like ptsd, I had ptsd after some traumatic events, i generally cant remember the incident but occassionaly something will trigger it and i get like flashbacks. Also nightmares can be a syptom and like avoiding things that remind you of it. What helped me was like keeping a diary of things that happened and like writing about the incident in third person to sort of dettach yourself. Hope this helps xx



she could be right. have you talked to anyone about what has happened to you? talking about it will help even though it will be very hard and provoke memories.



Have a chat with your Doctor; you should get advice from a professional.



It's certainly possible. Everyone experiences the emotional impact of trauma differently.

Symptoms of PTSD include: flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts about the trauma, panic attacks when triggered, constantly feeling reminded of the event, negative coping strategies such as drugs or alcohol used to mask the pain, dissociation and depression.

Is it an event that continues to impact your life? For instance, is it something that you think about frequently everyday or do you only think of it occasionally?

I think you should still see a therapist or counselor to discuss what you're feeling. Sometimes traumatic events affect us in subtle ways until we address them. I suffered a sexual trauma as a teenager and didn't talk about it for years. When it finally came out, I processed it with my t and began working on healing.

Good luck to you :)

have PTSD



Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that's triggered by a traumatic event. You can develop post-traumatic stress disorder when you experience or witness an event that causes intense fear, helplessness or horror.

Signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder typically begin within three months of a traumatic event. In a small number of cases, though, PTSD symptoms may not occur until years after the event.

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms are commonly grouped into three types: intrusive memories, avoidance and numbing, and increased anxiety or emotional arousal (hyperarousal).

Symptoms of intrusive memories may include:

Flashbacks, or reliving the traumatic event for minutes or even days at a time
Upsetting dreams about the traumatic event
Symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing may include:

Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event
Feeling emotionally numb
Avoiding activities you once enjoyed
Hopelessness about the future
Memory problems
Trouble concentrating
Difficulty maintaining close relationships
Symptoms of anxiety and increased emotional arousal may include:

Irritability or anger
Overwhelming guilt or shame
Self-destructive behavior, such as drinking too much
Trouble sleeping
Being easily startled or frightened
Hearing or seeing things that aren't there

http://www.mayoclinic.com/




The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007-2011 answer-health.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Categories