“Do I Have PTSD?” – Signs and Symptoms to Watch For

If you’ve been through a traumatic situation, it’s normal to feel stressed, depressed, or numb in the aftermath. However, if you’re having a hard time functioning in your day-to-day life because you can’t stop fixating on what happened, you may start to wonder “do I have PTSD?” PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and it can noticeably develop in people after they have been through a traumatic event or series of experiences. 

Symptoms and Signs of PTSD

PTSD doesn’t always emerge immediately after a traumatic event. Sometimes people will experience a situation or moment even years later that will remind them of their initial experience and they will develop PTSD. Understanding and treating PTSD is possible, but first it’s important to recognize the signs so you can get help. 

1. Re-experiencing the event – A common symptom of PTSD is having flashbacks, dreams, or exhibiting physical symptoms, like high heart-rate and sweating, when thinking about the traumatic experience. These may come out of nowhere or something specific may trigger a flashback.
2. Avoidance – Actively avoiding places, objects, people, things, or ideas of thought that remind you of your experience. Not wanting to engage with something uncomfortable after a negative experience is understandable, but if avoidant behavior after something traumatic begins to control your everyday life, you are exhibiting a symptom of PTSD.
3. Highly reactionary behaviors – If you are constantly irritable, easily startled, exhibiting aggressive reactions to otherwise typical situations in your life, you are exhibiting symptoms of PTSD. You may also be unable to sleep or feel like you need to engage in reckless or destructive behavior. 
4. Changed mood – If you are feeling depressed or numb to the point that you are isolating yourself and have a loss of interest in things you previously engaged with, you might be developing PTSD. Other mood change might include feelings of intense blame, guilt, shame, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. If you are having suicidal thoughts or ideations, please call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Hotline or visit their website to speak with someone virtually.

Do I Have PTSD? Contact Philly Family Life Counseling

PTSD is a serious but treatable disorder. At Philly Family Life Counseling LLC, Dr. Gene Devers and Associates can provide you with PTSD counseling that can give you the tools you need to cope with your trauma and help you move forward into a happy and healthy life. For more information, call our office at 215-677-3810 or fill out our online form. If you’ve been asking yourself “do I have PTSD?”, it’s important to know you aren’t alone and how you’re feeling now doesn’t have to last forever. Don’t wait; help is just a call away.