Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: How does PTSD Manifest?

If the symptoms of an acute stress reaction last for months or new symptoms develop up to six months after the triggering event, the condition is called posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Posttraumatic stress disorder

PTSD is comparatively rare, which means that most people can survive even a severely stressful event without secondary damage.

People who have previously suffered from a mental disorder, such as depression or anxiety disorder, and those for whom the trauma is also accompanied by physical injury are at increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Symptoms of PTSD

Typically, the affected person experiences the traumatic situation over and over again – in the form of nightmares, flashbacks to the feeling of being in that event again and reliving all the psychological and physical complaints such as horror, deep despair, (death) fear and helplessness.

Even similar situations or just single stimuli, harmless in themselves, can evoke this state again: a smell, a certain phrase, a piece of clothing, a television report, a door slamming.

  • The affected person increasingly avoids situations, thoughts, places and people that trigger such “flashbacks”, often with the consequence that he withdraws more and more even from normal everyday life.
  • On the other hand, the normal ability to react dulls increasingly; the affected person can not remember important aspects of the triggering event, his interest in activities and fellow human beings slackens. He feels distanced from his environment, is subdued in his mood reactions – can neither rejoice nor grieve properly. The future often seems threatening or “overshadowed”.
  • Third, the sufferer is in a constant state of overexcitement: He is very jumpy, irritable and prone to outbursts of anger, is often internally restless and “over-wake”, has problems falling asleep and sleep through and can concentrate only poorly.

PTSD: Restricted daily life as a result.

Due to the described symptomatology, the lifestyle of a PTSD sufferer is significantly impaired. Many of those affected develop depression or psychosomatic illnesses such as pain syndromes and try to numb their fears with alcohol or other drugs.

The feelings of being at the mercy of others and of helplessness, the inability to come to terms with what they have experienced and to do something about the situation themselves, but also diffuse feelings of guilt are particularly hard on those affected – and this is probably one of the reasons why the suicide rate is higher.

Altered body function due to PTSD

The “escape situation” is also reflected in bodily functions – for example, some hormones such as CRH, epinephrine and norepinephrine are increased, while others such as cortisol are decreased.

Many reflexes and the amygdala in the brain, a sensitive alarm system for our perception and associated feelings, are permanently overactivated.