Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a unique health condition as the symptoms come and go. Triggers can take many sufferers back to the traumatic place or event. You might feel scared, but a friend might experience a flashback. PTSD is not the same for everyone. Nearly everyone has a different reason for their PTSD, and each individual often has a unique list of symptoms. 

Triggers are things that cause you to have symptoms of PTSD. Triggers can range from things in nature to people or mentions of places. For some, there is a clear connection to a traumatic experience in their life, but for others, a link seems lost. The best way to avoid the problems often associated with PTSD is to understand your triggers. 

What Are PTSD Attacks?

Before you can understand what triggers PTSD attacks, you must first understand what PTSD attacks are. PTSD is a mental health condition that begins after a terrifying event. Debilitating nightmares, intense flashbacks that are realistic, and uncontrollable and non-stopping thoughts are part of an attack experience. It can feel impossible to adjust after a traumatic event, but with PTSD, it can become even more hopeless. Many people ask how long do PTSD attacks last, and there is no set length for that as each individual’s experience is unique.

What Causes Triggers in PTSD Attacks?

There are many examples of what triggers PTSD attacks. For someone serving in the armed forces during a war, a loud sound like a car backfiring or fireworks can take them back to the place where they were fighting in live combat. A song or the smell of food that a hostage had while in captivity can take them back to that time. Triggers can be anything that makes the individual remember the trauma that they suffered through.

A Look at the Symptoms of PTSD:

There are multiple PTSD symptoms, but we will discuss a few which are common:

• Intrusive Memories – Intrusive memories can have several symptoms, which include memories of the traumatic event, flashbacks, nightmares, emotional distress, and physical reactions. 

• Avoidance – Symptoms of avoidance can include not thinking about or talking about the event and not going to places or seeing people that remind them of the event.

• Negative Changes in Thinking and Mood – Many negative changes happen with thinking and mood when you have PTSD. These include negative thoughts about yourself or the world around you, hopelessness when you think about the future, an impossibility to remember things, a hard time with relationships and issues with detachment, a lack of interest in things you enjoyed, an inability to feel positive emotions, and general emotional numbness. 

• Changes in Physical and Emotional Reactions – Many physical and emotional changes are related to PTSD. These can include being easily startled or frightened, being on guard, self-destruction, an inability to sleep and concentrate, being aggressive or acting out in anger, and shame or guilt that is overwhelming.

Children can have PTSD just as adults can. In some cases, children re-enact the traumatic event through play or have nightmares that seem unrelated. If you or someone you love are suffering from any of these, you can learn how to stop PTSD attacks. 

To read in more detail about all the symptoms of PTSD, check this article out from the Mayo Clinic.

How to Stop PTSD Attacks

Before you can learn how to stop PTSD attacks, you must answer a few questions about the PTSD experiences. 

What Are PTSD Attacks Like? 

PTSD attacks are very intense. They are often debilitating, and when having a seizure, you might not be able to focus on or accomplish anything else. To know in detail what PTSD attacks feel like, check this article out.

Can PTSD Cause Panic Attacks? 

Panic attacks and PTSD attacks are not the same. That being said, an intense PTSD attack can lead to a panic attack. For more information, check this article out which discusses this topic in greater depth.

Treatment for PTSD Attacks

Now that you fully understand PTSD attacks, you can begin to consider the following treatment options; for more specifics, look at this article.

• PTSD Therapy – PTSD therapy teaches skills to deal with attacks, improve symptoms, and restore self-esteem.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – CBT teaches how to replace negative thoughts and reactions with positive ones.

• Stress Inoculation Training – SIT is a unique way to teach yourself to relax your body and avoid negative thoughts through breathing and massage techniques. 

• Medications – Medications can be used to treat some of the symptoms of PTSD, like anxiety and depression. 

• Prolonged Exposure Therapy – PE is a unique process that generally requires fifteen sessions that are each 90 minutes long to teach you skills to reduce your symptoms of PTSD.

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing – EMDR is a way of sharing your experience with some distractions happening simultaneously.

People Also Ask

What Does a PTSD Attack Feel Like? 

PTSD attacks are intense mental health reactions associated with a terrifying event. Some people feel as though they cannot move forward as their thoughts are consumed with the event. Others find it hard to breathe and some feel as though they cannot leave their homes because of the intensity of their anxiety.

Can PTSD Make You Go Crazy? 

PTSD is a treatable anxiety-based disorder. While an individual might feel as though they are going crazy, the condition is treatable. 

What Are the 4 Stages of PTSD?

1. Impact – This is the stage that occurs immediately after the traumatic event.
2. Denial – This is the stage where the individual tries to avoid anything to do with the event. Not everyone goes through the denial stage.
3. Short-Term Recovery – This is when the individual attempts to adjust to life normally.
4. Long-Term Recovery – During this stage, the individual sees a reduction in attacks and symptoms. 

PTSD is often a debilitating mental health condition. Here at Evolved Health Services, we have committed and empathetic staff who are dedicated to helping you through your treatment and recovery. Don’t continue living with PTSD attacks and symptoms and contact us today to get the help that you need.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, better known as PTSD, affects people who have recently gone through a tragedy or other traumatic life events. PTSD symptoms typically only last a month after the incident; however, they can persist in extreme cases. Some of the most common symptoms of PTSD include hyperarousal, negative self-perception, and somatic symptoms. If you have any of these symptoms, contact your doctor to get information about treatment options available to you.

Trauma stemming from significant events that have happened throughout our lives is something that impacts many people; however, most don’t feel comfortable talking about it. The effects of PTSD or post-traumatic stress syndrome are very real, and failing to identify them early can have lasting consequences. To start relieving yourself of the side effects of post-traumatic stress syndrome, you first need to identify all of the symptoms you have.

When it comes to diagnosing PTSD, there are 17 primary symptoms doctors, and medical professionals look for before making their decision. All of these symptoms range in their severity and how much of an impact they have on the quality of your daily life. If you think you have symptoms of PTSD but want to make sure before contacting your primary care physician, you’ve come to the right place.

Below, you’re going to find a detailed breakdown of the 17 PTSD symptoms that you can look for to get help with better managing your condition.

The Symptoms of PTSD To Look For

People diagnosed with PTSD suffer from a broad spectrum of symptoms; however, most of them are closely related. There are several different events that can occur in your life, which may spark the development of PTSD. Some of the most common PTSD-causing events are car crashes, traumatic injuries, natural disasters, and more.

Something to keep in mind is that not everyone who has gone through a traumatic event will develop PTSD. PTSD symptoms typically last for a month after the event has occurred; however, it can impact you for a much longer time if you don’t take the necessary steps to treat it.

To help you better understand your symptoms and how you can get help, take a look below to see the top 17 symptoms of PTSD.

17 Symptoms of PTSD

⦁ Intense physical reactions to reminders of the trauma

⦁ Upsetting or intrusive memories of a tragedy

⦁ Loss of interest in daily activities or life

⦁ Feelings of emotional detachment or numbness from other people

⦁ Difficulty remembering important details about a tragedy

⦁ Frightening thoughts or nightmares of the traumatic event

⦁ Sens of not being able to live a normal life after the tragic event

⦁ Extreme feelings of distress when reminded of the event

⦁ Avoidance of certain activities or thoughts that remind you of the event

⦁ Hyperarousal

⦁ Changes in your feelings or beliefs about others

⦁ Somatic symptoms

⦁ Negative self-perception

⦁ Difficulty in relationships with others

⦁ Distorted perception

⦁ Lack of emotional control

⦁ Trouble gaining mental clarity or focus

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms and have recently been involved in a traumatic event, contact your doctor to see what treatment options are available to you.

Getting Help Managing Your PTSD

The good news is that if you are diagnosed with PTSD, several treatment options have proven to be useful for many patients. Your doctor will decide the best treatment approach based on your symptoms and the nature of the traumatic event that you experienced.

Some of the most common treatments for PTSD include psychotherapy, Prozac, Paxil, eye movement desensitization, and reprocessing (EMDR), cognitive behavioral therapy, and more.

People Also Ask

Q: What are the four types of PTSD symptoms?
A: There are four group types that PTSD symptoms are categorized into; they are as follows: negative changes, intrusive memories, mood, and avoidance.

Q: What are the five types of PTSD?
A: PTSD can be classified into five main types which are: acute stress disorder, normal stress response, uncomplicated PTSD, complex PTSD, and comorbid PTSD.

Q: What does a PTSD attack feel like?
A: PTSD attacks can vary in the feelings and symptoms they evoke; however, the most common are: intense distress at symbolic or real reminders of the trauma, trembling, sweating, nausea, and physical pain.

Conclusion

We’ve covered all of the facts and essential information that you need to know about the most common PTSD symptoms. Now ask yourself a few questions, “Do I relate to any of these symptoms after recently experiencing a traumatic event?” “Do I feel emotions of pain, distress, or anxiety when I think about a traumatic event that has happened to me in the distant or recent past?” If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions or know of a loved one who is experiencing signs of PTSD, please contact Evolved Health Services right away for therapeutic treatment.

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• PTSD Treatment