PTSD: Do I Have It?

Feb 08, 2018

Now you can't diagnose yourself with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), that should be done by a professional. Being able to recognize you have symptoms that can indicate you may suffer from PTSD is the first step to getting the help you need. PTSD is defined as "the psychological reaction to a severely stressful and physically threatening event that often results in anxiety, flashbacks, hypervigilance, depression, suicidal ideation, and other mental health concerns for an extended period of time." So if you had recently, or at any point, lived through a traumatic event PTSD could be a reason that you are having a difficult time. There are four different categories of symptoms that will help you recognize if your trauma is affecting your everyday life. Avoidance symptoms, re-experiencing symptoms, hyperarousal symptoms, and cognitive symptoms can show that you need help with your PTSD.

1. Avoidance symptoms - this is when you actively avoid anything that will remind you of the trauma, people, places, sounds, and anything else that could trigger that painful memory. Encountering anything that reminds you of the experience will cause anxiety. Avoiding things you used to love that now trigger the traumatic experience may cause depression.
2. Re-experience symptoms - this is where you may have nightmares that startle you awake or flashbacks in the middle of the day. These types of symptoms affect your everyday life, keeping you awake or taking your attention from something you would rather be doing.
3. Hyperarousal symptoms - this is where your emotions will become heightened. This may come out in the form of anger or irritability and can go as far as reckless behavior where you cause harm to yourself.
4. Cognition symptoms - this is where you really start to lose who you are. This will cause you to lose interest in things that you once enjoyed doing. You will change your habits or behavior due to the traumatic event.

PTSD is nothing to be ashamed of, you went through something terrible and you need help with your recovery. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms please do not wait any longer, contact us for PTSD counseling in Fresno so that we can help you overcome your trauma and get you back to living your life.