Breaking Down the 17 Symptoms of PTSD
Explore the 17 symptoms of PTSD in this complete guide, including their impact and effective treatment options.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. It affects both the mind and body, leading to a range of disruptive symptoms that can interfere with daily life. In this guide, we break down the 17 symptoms of PTSD, exploring how they manifest and impact emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being. Recognizing these symptoms is a crucial step toward seeking effective treatment and support.
If you or a loved one are struggling with PTSD, don’t wait to seek help. Call Valor today or visit our admissions page for compassionate support and effective treatment options.
What Is PTSD?
Before we explore what are the 17 symptoms of PTSD, we should take a moment to review some fundamental facts about the condition itself.
PTSD stands for posttraumatic stress disorder. It is a type of mental illness that occurs in the aftermath of one or more traumatic experiences.
Events and experiences that can precede the onset of PTSD include:
- Physical attacks
- Sexual assault
- Verbal or online harassment
- Serious illnesses
- Automobile accidents
- Acts of terrorism
- Military combat
- Kidnapping
- Tornadoes, typhoons, and hurricanes
A person can develop PTSD after directly experiencing one or more of these events, by witnessing them happen to someone else, or even by learning the details of a traumatic occurrence involving a loved one.
Also, continued exposure to the aftermath of traumatic events – which is common among EMTs, firefighters, and other first responders — can be a precursor to PTSD.
What Are the 17 Symptoms of PTSD?
The question, what are the 17 symptoms of PTSD, is a bit misleading.
First, a person doesn’t need to exhibit all of the 17 symptoms listed below in order to be diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. Second, it’s possible to condense this list into fewer than 17 symptoms — or expand it to include many more — while still remaining consistent with the PTSD criteria in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
In other words, the list below does not contain the only 17 symptoms of PTSD. It does, however, represent the many ways that PTSD can undermine a person’s physical, psychological, and social well-being.
1. Distressing memories
Recurrent, intrusive memories are one of the fundamental symptoms of PTSD. They can take many forms including nightmares and flashbacks (which we will address later in this list), and they can be a source of significant ongoing distress.
Being plagued by repeated reminders of particularly horrific experiences can make people feel as though there is no escape from the trauma or traumas they endured in their past.
2. Memory impairments
While some people with PTSD struggle with distressing memories, others may have gaps in their memory or be unable to recall the traumatic event at all.
Trauma-related stress and sleep deprivation can contribute to memory problems. Also, research indicates that PTSD can cause structural changes in the hippocampus, a region of the brain that plays a vital role in long-term memory.
3. Flashbacks
These are episodes during which a person with PTSD feels that they are re-experiencing the traumatic event. Flashbacks are a special type of distressing memory, as they can cause a person to momentarily believe that they have somehow been transported back into the midst of a life-changing traumatic experience from their past.
4. Avoidance
Sometime, people with PTSD will intentionally or unconsciously avoid people, places, or situations that remind them of the traumatic event. Though this can seem like an understandable attempt to distance themselves from their traumatic past, it can have a dramatic negative impact on both the substance and quality of their life.
5. Irritability
This PTSD symptom is linked to the next three in this list. Irritability in the context of PTSD can include constantly feeling restless or on edge, as well as being easily angered by even relatively minor inconveniences. This can contribute to hypervigilance and aggression, which in turn can prompt disproportionate reactions due to an exaggerated startle response.
6. Aggression
As with irritability, a key feature of PTSD-related aggression is that this behavior is uncharacteristic for the individual. If someone who has typically been relatively mild-mannered suddenly begins to exhibit a tendency toward verbal or physical aggression, that may indicate that they are experiencing one of the 17 symptoms of PTSD.
7. Hypervigilance
This refers to a sense of being constantly under threat, even when there is no actual reason to suspect that something bad is about to happen. Hypervigilance can contribute to physical problems such as headaches, stomach aches, and muscle tension, as well as ongoing emotional distress, irritability, and aggression.
8. Exaggerated startle response
This symptom of PTSD causes a person to overreact when surprised or startled. For example, someone whose struggles with PTSD are related to gun violence may have an exaggerated response when hearing fireworks or when in proximity to a car that backfires.
9. Shame and guilt
When a person lives through a traumatic event that claims the lives of other people, they sometimes experience intense shame and/or guilt. These feelings may include the misguided belief that they were somehow to blame for the event, that they should have done more to prevent it or minimize its impact, or that they did not deserve to survive the experience.
10. Recklessness
For someone with PTSD, impulsivity and poor emotion regulation can lead to dangerous behaviors such as having unsafe sex or driving recklessly.
Recklessness may also result from misplaced guilt or shame. If a person believes that they did not deserve to survive a traumatic event, recklessness can serve as a type of indirect suicidal behavior
11. Concentration problems
This PTSD symptom can have a negative impact on a person’s ability to perform to their full potential in school or at work. It can also be a source of conflict with friends, family members, and romantic partners. Problems with concentration and focus can contribute to poor judgment, diminished problem-solving skills, and memory impairments.
12. Negative beliefs
This PTSD symptom can have a decidedly adverse impact on how a person views themselves, others, and the world around them.
Examples of negative beliefs about yourself include thinking that you are a flawed person, that you’re not worthy of love or happiness, or that you deserve any bad things that happen to you. Negative beliefs about others or the world include thinking that the world is an inherently evil place and that no one – even close friends and family members – can be trusted.
13. Negative emotions
In addition to the shame and guilt mentioned earlier in this list, other negative emotions associated with PTSD include persistent fear, overwhelming anger, deep sadness, and even a sense of emotional emptiness.
In an attempt to numb themselves to their negative emotions, some people turn to alcohol or other drugs. This may provide a temporary escape, but it will do nothing to address the root of the problem, and will likely make things even worse.
14. Sleep disturbances
Insomnia and disturbing nightmares are two of the more prominent examples of PTSD-related sleep disturbances. The many problematic effects of insufficient sleep include low mood, impaired cognition, irritability, and diminished reaction time. Vivid, recurring nightmares can also have the effect of re-traumatizing a person, thus increasing their psychological distress.
15. Anhedonia
People who have this PTSD symptom will find it difficult or impossible to experience joy or pleasure. This can include being unable to find moments of happiness in activities that they used to truly enjoy. Research indicates that anhedonia affects about two-thirds of people who have posttraumatic stress disorder.
16. Detachment
Having lived through a traumatic experience, some people find it difficult to resume a so-called “normal” life. They may feel as though their loved ones, peers, or colleagues can’t possibly understand what they went through. This can make it difficult to maintain their relationships, perform to expectation in school or at work, and otherwise function as they did before the traumatic event.
17. Dissociation
Dissociation is a psychological phenomenon that can include depersonalization (feeling as though you have become detached from your thoughts, feelings, or body) and derealization (the sense that you have become separated from your environment, as if the world has been drained of color or you are viewing your surroundings through a pane of glass).
Explore Your PTSD Treatment Options in Atlanta
Valor Behavioral Health offers customized, age-appropriate outpatient programming for adults and adolescents who have been experiencing the 17 symptoms of PTSD.
Treatment options at our PTSD treatment center in Atlanta, GA, include a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and an outpatient program (OP). At each level of care, you can expect to receive personalized care from a team of dedicated professionals within a safe and highly supportive environment.
To learn more or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
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If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health issues or dual diagnosis disorders and seeking a balanced approach to recovery, our PTSD Treatment in Atlanta may be the right choice.
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Have you been living with PTSD and cannot find your way out of it and back to peace of mind? Valor Behavioral Health employs a staff of mental health counselors who understand how detrimental trauma can be and use their special skills and training to help people overcome it.
Reach out to our admissions team and let’s talk about how we can help you move past the effects of PTSD. You can rediscover the gentler side of life and return to living without fear.
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