Do I Have PTSD? Understand Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Published On: November 11th, 2022|Total Views: 3974|Daily Views: 13|5.4 min read|1056 words|

PTSD isn’t just an illness, it’s a memory that won’t fade away. Think of your mind as a library. Every day, new experiences are sorted into shelves by your brain. Joy gets placed with calm recollections, sadness tucked quietly into pages that rarely open. But trauma? Trauma kicks down the library door, rips its own chapter out of a horror novel, and keeps rereading it out loud, without your permission.

Post traumatic stress disorder is what happens when your mind loses the ability to tell the past from the present. A sound becomes a siren. A smell becomes a war zone. A peek transforms into risk. You sit on the couch, feeling safe. But your brain is ready to flee. It’s not because it wants to; it thinks it must.

What makes PTSD even more difficult is its silence. It doesn’t always scream. Sometimes, it whispers: through restless sleep, a tightened jaw, or the sudden need to leave a room with no clear reason. You might look fine on the outside, but inside, your body is stuck in a time machine with no off switch.

Post traumatic stress isn’t weakness, and it’s not just fear. It’s your brain trying to protect you with a warning system stuck on high alert. And the hardest part? You’re not just surviving what happened — you’re surviving it over and over again. As stated by scholar:

“After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment.”

Judith Lewis Herman

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means learning to close that book, page by page, until the memory stops shaping your present.

Types of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Do I Have PTSD in One of These Forms?

PTSD can manifest in different forms, such as:

  • Acute PTSD

Symptoms last between 1 and 3 months after trauma.

  • Chronic PTSD

Symptoms last longer than three months and may intensify over time.

  • Delayed-Onset PTSD

Signs can arise months or years after the trauma.

  • Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)

It develops from long-term trauma. This often occurs in childhood or in harmful relationships.

  • Secondary PTSD

People can feel deeply affected by the trauma of others. This involves primary responders and support providers.

What Causes PTSD and How to Know: Do I Have PTSD

The causes of PTSD differ, but some typical causes involve:

  • Critical accidents can be car crashes or injuries that occur in workplaces.
  • Physical or sexual assault
  • Military combat and war-related trauma
  • Natural disasters such as, earthquakes, floods, fires
  • Sudden loss of a loved one
  • Childhood neglect or abuse
  • Terrorist attacks
  • Emotional or psychological abuse
  • Stress that lasts a long time from domestic violence and bullying can cause big problems.

Some people get Post traumatic stress disorder symptoms right after the event. Others can have symptoms show up months or even years later. Estimates of post traumatic stress prevalence among UK prisoners vary widely, ranging from 1.7% to 13.9%.

Do I Have PTSD Signs to Watch For?

Identifying PTSD Symptoms

PTSD criteria include four primary symptom categories:

PTSD Symptoms in Males

  • Emotional suppression

Men mostly avoid sharing their feelings. They also hesitate in sharing post traumatic events.

  • Aggression and irritability

Increased anger or reckless behaviour

  • Hypervigilance

Always be on high alert

  • Substance use

A higher likelihood of using alcohol or drugs to cope

  • Detachment

Difficulty maintaining relationships due to emotional distance

  • Increased risk-taking behaviour

Such as reckless driving or thrill-seeking

PTSD Symptoms in Females
  • Avoidance behaviours

Women tend to avoid trauma reminders more than men

  • Emotional distress

Higher rates of anxiety, depression, and guilt

identifying ptsd symptoms
  • Hyperarousal

Sleep disturbances, startle reflex, and chronic worry

  • Flashbacks and nightmares

More frequent re-experiencing of trauma

  • Social withdrawal

Difficulty trusting others and engaging in relationships

  • Heightened sense of guilt or self-blame

Women often internalise their traumatic experiences

PTSD Symptoms in Children
  • Separation anxiety

Fear of being away from parents or caregivers

  • Regression

Loss of skills, such as toilet training

  • Nightmares and sleep disturbances

Frequent, vivid dreams of the trauma

  • Reenacting trauma

Through play, stories, or drawings

  • Intense aggression

Irritability, anger, or sudden outbursts

  • Unexplained physical symptoms

Headaches, stomachaches, or general discomfort

  • Increased fear or phobias

A child may develop fears not connected to the initial trauma

Need Help Understanding PTSD Symptoms?

Our medico-legal experts at Concise Medico offer professional assessments, guidance, and expert reports for identifying PTSD—whether for legal proceedings or clinical use.

Self-Screening to Know Do I Have PTSD?

The test is used to check for PTSD symptoms that match PTSD criteria. It isn’t a complete diagnosis, but it can tell you whether to reach out for expert help.

In the past month, have you:

  • Had nightmares or bad memories of a traumatic event?
  • Tried to avoid thinking about the trauma? Stay away from people, places, or situations that remind you of it?
  • Felt on edge all the time? Gotten startled easily? Had trouble focusing?
  • Avoiding things or the company of people you liked before?
  • Blaming yourself for trauma and its effects on your life?

You might have signs of PTSD if you feel more than three things. These signs can upset your routine life. They can also strain bonds and hurt your quality of life.

Yet, only a psychologist can confirm a PTSD diagnosis. If trauma symptoms cause issues, getting support can help. You do not need a formal diagnosis to request help.

PTSD Assessment Test

Quiz Results

Read details about PTSD Treatment.

How PTSD Affects Daily Life

PTSD affects many parts of daily life, such as:

  • Work and productivity

Trouble focusing, memory issues, and a lot of stress

  • Relationships

Battles with intimacy, reliance, and emotional connection

  • Physical health

Chronic pain, fatigue, digestive issues, and headaches

  • Sleep patterns

Insomnia, night terrors, and disrupted sleep cycles

  • Decision-making

Impulsivity or excessive fear in decision-making situations

how ptsd affects daily life

Do I Have PTSD? Seek Help with Concise Medico

Checking the signs of PTSD is the first step to grasping how it affects your life. Detecting trauma clues helps you decode Post traumatic stress. When you know the causes and effects on your daily life, you can better manage your mental health.

You don’t have to face this alone. At Concise Medico, we give expert assessments and guidance. We also provide support to help individuals work through their trauma.

Reach out today and take the first step toward healing.

FAQs

How do I know if I have PTSD myself?2025-04-16T10:02:40+00:00

If you experience flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, or heightened anxiety after a traumatic event, you may have PTSD. Symptoms often persist for over a month and disrupt daily life. Consulting a mental health professional can help with diagnosis.

What are the 7 symptoms of PTSD?2025-04-16T10:04:05+00:00

The seven key symptoms include intrusive thoughts, avoidance, negative mood changes, hyperarousal, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances. These symptoms vary in severity but often make daily functioning difficult.

What are the 5 signs of PTSD?2025-04-16T10:04:43+00:00

The five core signs include re-experiencing trauma, avoidance, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, and mood changes. If these persist and interfere with life, PTSD may be the cause.

Do I have PTSD or am I just traumatized?2025-04-16T10:05:20+00:00

Feeling traumatized is a natural response, but PTSD is diagnosed when symptoms last over a month and affect daily life. If you avoid reminders, struggle emotionally, or feel on edge constantly, seeking help is recommended.

Can PTSD develop years after a traumatic event?2025-04-16T10:05:59+00:00

Yes, delayed-onset PTSD can appear months or years later, often triggered by stress or new trauma. Many people don’t connect their symptoms to past events until they become overwhelming.

What are emotional flashbacks?2025-04-16T10:06:36+00:00

Emotional flashbacks are a rush of intense emotions related to a past traumatic event that occur without any visual memories or images.

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PTSD isn’t just an illness, it’s a memory that won’t fade away. Think of your mind as a library. Every day, new experiences are sorted into shelves by your brain. Joy gets placed with calm recollections, sadness tucked quietly into pages that rarely open. But trauma? Trauma kicks down the library door, rips its own chapter out of a horror novel, and keeps rereading it out loud, without your permission.

Post traumatic stress disorder is what happens when your mind loses the ability to tell the past from the present. A sound becomes a siren. A smell becomes a war zone. A peek transforms into risk. You sit on the couch, feeling safe. But your brain is ready to flee. It’s not because it wants to; it thinks it must.

What makes PTSD even more difficult is its silence. It doesn’t always scream. Sometimes, it whispers: through restless sleep, a tightened jaw, or the sudden need to leave a room with no clear reason. You might look fine on the outside, but inside, your body is stuck in a time machine with no off switch.

Post traumatic stress isn’t weakness, and it’s not just fear. It’s your brain trying to protect you with a warning system stuck on high alert. And the hardest part? You’re not just surviving what happened — you’re surviving it over and over again. As stated by scholar:

“After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment.”

Judith Lewis Herman

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means learning to close that book, page by page, until the memory stops shaping your present.

Types of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Do I Have PTSD in One of These Forms?

PTSD can manifest in different forms, such as:

  • Acute PTSD

Symptoms last between 1 and 3 months after trauma.

  • Chronic PTSD

Symptoms last longer than three months and may intensify over time.

  • Delayed-Onset PTSD

Signs can arise months or years after the trauma.

  • Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)

It develops from long-term trauma. This often occurs in childhood or in harmful relationships.

  • Secondary PTSD

People can feel deeply affected by the trauma of others. This involves primary responders and support providers.

What Causes PTSD and How to Know: Do I Have PTSD

The causes of PTSD differ, but some typical causes involve:

  • Critical accidents can be car crashes or injuries that occur in workplaces.
  • Physical or sexual assault
  • Military combat and war-related trauma
  • Natural disasters such as, earthquakes, floods, fires
  • Sudden loss of a loved one
  • Childhood neglect or abuse
  • Terrorist attacks
  • Emotional or psychological abuse
  • Stress that lasts a long time from domestic violence and bullying can cause big problems.

Some people get Post traumatic stress disorder symptoms right after the event. Others can have symptoms show up months or even years later. Estimates of post traumatic stress prevalence among UK prisoners vary widely, ranging from 1.7% to 13.9%.

Do I Have PTSD Signs to Watch For?

Identifying PTSD Symptoms

PTSD criteria include four primary symptom categories:

PTSD Symptoms in Males

  • Emotional suppression

Men mostly avoid sharing their feelings. They also hesitate in sharing post traumatic events.

  • Aggression and irritability

Increased anger or reckless behaviour

  • Hypervigilance

Always be on high alert

  • Substance use

A higher likelihood of using alcohol or drugs to cope

  • Detachment

Difficulty maintaining relationships due to emotional distance

  • Increased risk-taking behaviour

Such as reckless driving or thrill-seeking

PTSD Symptoms in Females
  • Avoidance behaviours

Women tend to avoid trauma reminders more than men

  • Emotional distress

Higher rates of anxiety, depression, and guilt

identifying ptsd symptoms
  • Hyperarousal

Sleep disturbances, startle reflex, and chronic worry

  • Flashbacks and nightmares

More frequent re-experiencing of trauma

  • Social withdrawal

Difficulty trusting others and engaging in relationships

  • Heightened sense of guilt or self-blame

Women often internalise their traumatic experiences

PTSD Symptoms in Children
  • Separation anxiety

Fear of being away from parents or caregivers

  • Regression

Loss of skills, such as toilet training

  • Nightmares and sleep disturbances

Frequent, vivid dreams of the trauma

  • Reenacting trauma

Through play, stories, or drawings

  • Intense aggression

Irritability, anger, or sudden outbursts

  • Unexplained physical symptoms

Headaches, stomachaches, or general discomfort

  • Increased fear or phobias

A child may develop fears not connected to the initial trauma

Need Help Understanding PTSD Symptoms?

Our medico-legal experts at Concise Medico offer professional assessments, guidance, and expert reports for identifying PTSD—whether for legal proceedings or clinical use.

Self-Screening to Know Do I Have PTSD?

The test is used to check for PTSD symptoms that match PTSD criteria. It isn’t a complete diagnosis, but it can tell you whether to reach out for expert help.

In the past month, have you:

  • Had nightmares or bad memories of a traumatic event?
  • Tried to avoid thinking about the trauma? Stay away from people, places, or situations that remind you of it?
  • Felt on edge all the time? Gotten startled easily? Had trouble focusing?
  • Avoiding things or the company of people you liked before?
  • Blaming yourself for trauma and its effects on your life?

You might have signs of PTSD if you feel more than three things. These signs can upset your routine life. They can also strain bonds and hurt your quality of life.

Yet, only a psychologist can confirm a PTSD diagnosis. If trauma symptoms cause issues, getting support can help. You do not need a formal diagnosis to request help.

PTSD Assessment Test

Quiz Results

Read details about PTSD Treatment.

How PTSD Affects Daily Life

PTSD affects many parts of daily life, such as:

  • Work and productivity

Trouble focusing, memory issues, and a lot of stress

  • Relationships

Battles with intimacy, reliance, and emotional connection

  • Physical health

Chronic pain, fatigue, digestive issues, and headaches

  • Sleep patterns

Insomnia, night terrors, and disrupted sleep cycles

  • Decision-making

Impulsivity or excessive fear in decision-making situations

how ptsd affects daily life

Do I Have PTSD? Seek Help with Concise Medico

Checking the signs of PTSD is the first step to grasping how it affects your life. Detecting trauma clues helps you decode Post traumatic stress. When you know the causes and effects on your daily life, you can better manage your mental health.

You don’t have to face this alone. At Concise Medico, we give expert assessments and guidance. We also provide support to help individuals work through their trauma.

Reach out today and take the first step toward healing.

FAQs

How do I know if I have PTSD myself?2025-04-16T10:02:40+00:00

If you experience flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, or heightened anxiety after a traumatic event, you may have PTSD. Symptoms often persist for over a month and disrupt daily life. Consulting a mental health professional can help with diagnosis.

What are the 7 symptoms of PTSD?2025-04-16T10:04:05+00:00

The seven key symptoms include intrusive thoughts, avoidance, negative mood changes, hyperarousal, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances. These symptoms vary in severity but often make daily functioning difficult.

What are the 5 signs of PTSD?2025-04-16T10:04:43+00:00

The five core signs include re-experiencing trauma, avoidance, emotional numbness, hypervigilance, and mood changes. If these persist and interfere with life, PTSD may be the cause.

Do I have PTSD or am I just traumatized?2025-04-16T10:05:20+00:00

Feeling traumatized is a natural response, but PTSD is diagnosed when symptoms last over a month and affect daily life. If you avoid reminders, struggle emotionally, or feel on edge constantly, seeking help is recommended.

Can PTSD develop years after a traumatic event?2025-04-16T10:05:59+00:00

Yes, delayed-onset PTSD can appear months or years later, often triggered by stress or new trauma. Many people don’t connect their symptoms to past events until they become overwhelming.

What are emotional flashbacks?2025-04-16T10:06:36+00:00

Emotional flashbacks are a rush of intense emotions related to a past traumatic event that occur without any visual memories or images.

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