Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is the reflex action of mind against traumas in a person’s life. The trauma may be physical or sexual abuse, accidents, natural or human-made catastrophes, war combats, terrorism, loss of a loved one, or any other incident that had deeply affected the person’s psychology. It is common in people who have undergone any such disturbing events, but it is often confused with other mental ailments like depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc.
Women are twice likely than men to develop PTSD, and children do too. Though a person may recover from PTSD at one point, he may continue to suffer from depression and anxiety for months and sometimes even years.
To treat a disorder, it is necessary that we find its origin first. So, it is essential that we identify PTSD accurately. And PTSD is often difficult to diagnose.
How to Differentiate Between PTSD and Other Mental Disorders?
Overlapping symptoms is one of the primary reasons for this confusion. For instance, a person may suffer from depression and anxiety at once or depression and PTSD at once. Sometimes, the symptoms of the two different conditions may even co-exist. Consider a person who is already suffering from depression. If he/she undergoes a traumatic incident, apart from PTSD, depression deepens. Though there is no particular cause of depression, PTSD follows any traumatic events like rape, witnessing a crime, etc.
So, here is a list of common symptoms of PTSD that will help you figure out if a person is suffering from PTSD:
It is not necessary that the symptoms start showing up right after the incident. It may take months or even years after the traumatic incident.
There are three significant symptoms:
- Recurring memories of the incident that affected you, like flashbacks or over voices, nightmares and reliving the incident through theses type of physical or emotional reactions.
- Emotional numbness and avoiding talking about the incident or anything or anyone related to it.
- Feeling on edge, jumpy, easily scared or angered, difficulty in sleeping and concentrating.
You may be down on yourself. You shall feel:
- Persistently negative moods
- Hopeless, depressed,
- Self-destructive like drinking too much alcohol or drive too fast
- Detached from people and social interactions
- easily startled or frightened, or you might always be on guard for danger
- Have trouble sleeping due to fear of nightmares that make you relive the memory
Some overlapping symptoms of PTSD and other mental illnesses are Insomnia, Lack of focus, lack of interest, Irritability, Detachment from people, and the world.
If you feel or notice a person feeling the symptoms mentioned above for four weeks or longer, then it is impulsive that you consult a psychiatrist for professional advice, diagnosis, and treatment.