Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects about 7-8% of the population living in the United States. It’s a mental health disorder that can affect many parts of your life from your sleep to your relationships at home and work.
PTSD is caused by a person experiencing a traumatic event like an accident, crime, war, fire, death of a loved one, or any kind of abuse. It can cause you to feel hopeless and fearful and can bring on a lot of feelings of anxiety. You may have PTSD and not even realize it since the symptoms of this condition can pop up months or even years after the event.
Venice Sanchez, MD, and the rest of our team at Sydea Medical Practice in Newport Beach, California, examine five symptoms of PTSD to help you recognize if you’re dealing with this disorder so you can start to seek treatment.
When you have PTSD, it’s common to have intrusive thoughts like memories, flashbacks, and nightmares of the event. These are often very vivid and make you feel like you’re reliving the event all over again. This can bring up feelings of anxiety, fearfulness, guilt, and suspicion.
Avoidance symptoms can cause you to avoid any people and places that remind you of the event. You may completely withdraw from friends and family and avoid talking about the event to prevent feelings surrounding your trauma from coming up.
Also called “arousal symptoms,” you may notice that your emotions are heightened and you have different emotional reactions than you typically do. These intense emotions can start to affect your sleep and may cause you to have angry outbursts or make reckless decisions.
PTSD can also manifest itself in aggressive mood swings. You may also start to have negative thoughts and feelings about yourself and others along with feelings of guilt and shame. Other mental health disorders can come along with that including anxiety, depression, and phobias.
Any of the above symptoms can evoke a physical reaction in your body. You can experience heart palpitations, shaking, chills, sweating, headaches, dizziness, stomach problems, and chest pains. PTSD can also weaken your immune system which can leave you more susceptible to frequent infections.
If you identify with some or all of these symptoms, you may be dealing with PTSD. To learn more about this condition or to seek professional help from our team, contact our office by giving us a call at 949-269-6142 or by booking an appointment online with us today.
