Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a mental health condition that may develop as the result of exposure to a life-threatening event.

Although PTSD is most common among active or former members of the military, post traumatic stress can be experienced by anyone who is exposed to trauma, including natural disasters, car accidents, terrorist attacks, or sexual assaults.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD?

Most people experience the symptoms of PTSD almost immediately after the traumatic event, but they may not become visible or disruptive to a person’s life for months of even years after it occurs.

The difference between minor side effects of a traumatic event and PTSD depend on the level of distress caused and how much they interfere with your life. Symptoms include:

• Reliving or re-experiencing the event repeatedly
• Avoiding triggers that remind you of the event
• Negative changes in personality or beliefs
• Hyperarousal, jitters, and paranoia

Some people can live through events like these and experience no long-term side effects, while others will develop PTSD. Whether or not the symptoms of PTSD linger depends on many factors, including:

• Intensity of the trauma
• Duration of the trauma
• Proximity to the traumatic event
• Strength of your emotional or physical reaction
• Degree to which you felt in control of the event
• Quality of PTSD help available after the event

If you’re experiencing symptoms of PTSD, it’s important that you begin counseling with us right away. Getting quality PTSD treatment from an experienced mental health counselor can be the difference between living your life to the fullest or merely surviving it. Contact us at New Hope Counseling in Palatine, today.