Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Among the disorders related to traumatic and stressful events, the most well-known is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly referred to by its acronym PTSD. Before we delve into it from a clinical perspective, let’s take a closer look at the symptoms of PTSD.

The symptoms of PTSD can be divided into four main categories:

1. Intrusive Symptoms
2. Avoidance
3. Negative Alterations in Thoughts and Emotions
4. Marked Alterations in Arousal

I’ll try to explain these in my own words.

Intrusive Symptoms
Have you ever watched a movie about war veterans? Particularly those films that depict the life of a soldier returning home after fighting on the front lines (for example: American Sniper). Even after returning to normal life, their mind brings them back to the battlefield.
We've already encountered the term "intrusive," and I've defined intrusive thoughts as "unwanted guests." Intrusive symptoms bring the person back to the traumatic event. Whether it’s through thoughts, dreams, or flashbacks (vivid perception of images), the mind pulls the person back into the trauma.
To an outsider, it might seem like the person with PTSD has "their mind elsewhere."

Avoidance
In this case, the word itself hints at the meaning of the symptoms. The person with PTSD actively avoids encountering thoughts, people, places, objects, or situations that might remind them of the traumatic event.
Therefore, the person actively avoids all sources that have any connection to the experience they’ve lived through.

Negative Alterations in Thoughts and Emotions
Negative alterations in thoughts mean that the person with PTSD "creates" a system of beliefs or convictions that are obviously exaggerated about themselves (for example: "I am bad") or about others (for example: "Everyone is bad").
Negative alterations in emotions mean that the person with PTSD primarily feels negative emotions (fear, anger, guilt, etc.), experiences feelings of detachment, and shows little interest in potentially rewarding activities.

Marked Alterations in Arousal
Arousal refers to our tendency to respond to external stimuli. If we hear a sound, we turn around; if we see a friend, we approach them. The stimulus arrives, and we activate ourselves to respond appropriately.
Imagine a situation where you’re under attack; your arousal needs to be high because you need to respond quickly to everything you see and hear. If you see a punch coming, you must avoid it; if you hear a gunshot, you need to run away.
Typically, arousal is variable, but in people with PTSD, it is altered. The person is hypervigilant (as if they are always under attack), has exaggerated startle responses even to harmless stimuli (if you touch them, they might run away in terror or attack you), and may have outbursts of anger (watch the anger reaction portrayed by Tobey Maguire in the 2009 film Brothers).

Sources:

• American Psychiatric Association (2013) - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.).
• Bernhill, J. W. (2014) - DSM-5 Clinical Cases.

If you’d like me to describe a psychology topic in my own words, write it in the comments.