PTSD

After experiencing a traumatic situation, it's normal to feel scared or have trouble sleeping for a period of time; however, if several months have passed and you still have symptoms that are affecting your daily life, you might have PTSD.

Not everyone experiences PTSD the same way, but there are four general categories of symptoms used in diagnosing PTSD. These include:

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  Intrusive thoughts, such as nightmares of the event and flashbacks where you feel like you're reliving the traumatic event.

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  Avoidance symptoms, such as avoiding places, activities, or people that may remind you of the traumatic event. Most people will also try to avoid thinking or speaking about the traumatic event.

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  Changes in emotional and physical behavior, including aggressive behavior or angry outbursts, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, and engaging in reckless behavior like driving recklessly or abusing drugs and alcohol.

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  Negative feelings and thoughts, such as intense guilt or shame, loss of interest in enjoyable activities, feeling detached from other people, and feeling numb emotionally.