A White person with long curly red hair in a dark room, head in their hands, sitting on a couch, representing some symptoms of PTSD such as difficulty sleeping, sadness, and reliving trauma. Also represents needing to get help for PTSD.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, is a serious mental health condition that can follow experiencing a traumatic event. Although most commonly associated with military service, PTSD can impact anyone who has experienced any traumatic or life-altering event. PTSD can cause significant impacts to your daily life. In this blog post I will help you understand what PTSD is, common symptoms, who is impacted by PTSD, and when to seek help. Understanding PTSD is the first step towards better understanding yourself and starting your journey to healing.

What Is PTSD?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health disorder that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. The National Alliance on Mental Illness defines a trauma as “a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, often leading to lasting emotional, psychological, or physical effects.” Such experiences may include things like mental, physical, or sexual abuse, car accidents, natural disasters, interpersonal violence, war, rape, significant life changes, discrimination, and racism. Learn more about types of trauma that might lead to PTSD here.

It is normal to experience distress and reactions following experiencing a traumatic event. When this distress intensifies, leads to specific symptoms, or are longer-lasting, the reactions to the traumatic event may become Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is an official mental health diagnosis within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) which is used by mental health professionals in the United States to diagnose mental health concerns. In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, you must meet specific symptom criteria.

PTSD Symptoms: What To Look For

Symptoms associated with PTSD will often emerge within a few months following experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, however, sometimes the symptoms can be delayed longer. Symptoms of PTSD are grouped into four categories, and having symptoms within all four categories is necessary for a diagnosis of PTSD. The four categories are reexperiencing, avoidance, cognition and mood, and arousal and reactivity.

Re-experiencing Symptoms

Re-experiencing symptoms include intrusive thoughts about the traumatic event. The intrusive thoughts are involuntary and unwanted and may include things like memories, nightmares, and flashbacks. Flashbacks may include vividly reliving the traumatic event or seeing it unfold before your eyes. Sometimes re-experiencing of the traumatic event may be triggered by specific things or may happen without warning.

Avoidance Symptoms

Following experiencing a traumatic event, people may avoid certain activities, locations, objects, situations, and people that may remind them of the event. They may also avoid thinking about or feelings related to the traumatic event.

Cognition and Mood Symptoms

Symptoms of PTSD also include changes to how you think and feel. Following experiencing a traumatic event, some symptoms may be similar to depression, including feelings of sadness, not enjoying things that used to bring joy, and difficulty experiencing positive emotions, such as happiness. Additionally, negative thoughts about yourself, others, and the world might be more common. Persistent feelings of fear, guilt, anger, shame, or other negative emotions can be present. PTSD may also include difficulty remembering things, such as remembering specific details about the traumatic experience.

Arousal and Reactivity Symptoms

People with PTSD may also find themselves more on edge, tense, and on guard. This may lead to sudden angry or irritable outbursts and reckless behaviors. They might find themselves easily startled and hypervigilant, or feeling constantly alert and aware of potential dangers that may arise. It may become difficult to concentrate and sleep.

Does Trauma Always Cause PTSD?

Experiencing a traumatic event does not always lead to Post-traumatic stress disorder. In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, symptoms from all of the above areas must exist for more than a one month period of time. Additionally, these symptoms must be impacting day to day life, and not caused by another medical or mental health concern or substance use. People may experience some of the above symptoms, but not all. Therefore, they may be impacted by trauma without having a PTSD diagnosis. There are no specific things that determine if someone will develop PTSD or not following a trauma. A complex mix of risk factors, life surroundings, and individual differences may impact if a person develops PTSD or not. There is nothing inherently wrong or bad about you if you do or do not develop PTSD following trauma, it just depends on each specific person.

Who Can Experience PTSD?

Short answer: anyone. Although PTSD is most commonly associated with veterans and people in military service, anyone who has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event may develop PTSD. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 3.9% of people worldwide have experienced PTSD at some point in their life. 70% of people are likely to experience a traumatic event at some point in their lives, and of that 70% about 5.6% will go on to develop PTSD.

When To Seek Help For PTSD

If you think you may have PTSD, or be otherwise impacted by a traumatic experience, help is available. Therapy has been proven to be an effective support for people to better understand their past experiences, how they are impacting them today, and learn to cope and heal from past trauma. If you are noticing any of the above symptoms, or are finding it impacting your job, relationships, day to day functioning, or other responsibilities, it may be time to reach out for support. Living with PTSD can be overwhelming, but getting help for PTSD is possible. Mental health professionals help people on their healing journeys everyday reclaim peace and stability.

Therapy for PTSD in Lexington, Kentucky

I work with adults virtually across Kentucky to heal from PTSD and past trauma. As a trauma therapist, I can help you develop tools and coping strategies to increase feelings of safety and stability, which will help us to process and understand how your past experiences of trauma are impacting you now. Together, we can help you heal and grow towards your full authentic self. If you are interested in working with me, click here to reach out or schedule a free 15-minute consultation here. During our consultation, I can answer any questions you may have about what it is like to work with me.

Carolyn Meiller is a mental health professional specializing in trauma therapy in Kentucky. She is a White, cisfemale, queer therapist with a larger body and curly brown hair. She is wearing a navy and white stripped sweater outside on a path. — About The Author:

Dr. Carolyn Meiller is a licensed psychologist who provides trauma therapy for adults across Kentucky. She has worked with adults who have experienced past trauma and who have PTSD throughout her career. She works to meet clients where they are at in their healing journey, and helps clients build feelings of safety within and outside of appointments to help clients further explore and understand their experiences to help them rediscover their authentic selves.

Learn More About Working With Me

PTSD Explained: Symptoms, Causes, And When To Get Help