Ptsd

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) happens after you experience something extremely frightening, like violence, abuse, rape or a life-threatening situation.

It can also affect you if you witnessed something terrible happening, such as a serious accident.

Most people take time to get over a traumatic event, but with PTSD, you can't move past the event and carry on having dreams, flashbacks or upsetting thoughts about it.

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) is a more serious reaction to a long-lasting traumatic experience, for example abuse, neglect or frequent violence.

If you think you might be affected by PTSD, you are not alone. It can be really scary, but help is available.

The symptoms of PTSD.

Symptoms can appear straight after a traumatic experience, or later on. They're usually noticed within six months of the experience.

The main symptoms of PTSD are:

flashbacks or nightmares about what happened
avoidance and numbing, where you try to keep busy and avoid thinking about or doing things that might trigger memories of the traumatic event
being tense and on guard all the time in case it happens again

Just because you experience one or more of these symptoms, it doesn’t mean you’re definitely affected by PTSD. It’s important to talk to your GP to get a full diagnosis.

You may also experience:

anxiety
anger or irritability
problems sleeping or eating
survivor's guilt, where you feel bad because others suffered more than you
depression
problems with alcohol or drug abuse
diarrhoea
muscle aches
difficulty remembering all of the traumatic event

What to do about PSTD

f you've been through something traumatic and you're struggling with PTSD symptoms, talk to someone you like and trust, like a teacher, relative, counsellor or friend.

You should also see your GP. They may offer to refer you to an expert or a psychiatrist who can help you.