What are some symptoms of PTSD?

Question

I went to Iraq in '04 - '05 and when I came back I can admit that I had slight PTSD. Jumping when people slammed doors and when cars backfired. But my parents seem to think I still have it. The only "action" I saw was an IED blowing up 2 vehicles in front of me. Nobody was wounded or killed.

Answer 1

What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or that happens to you. During this type of event, you think that your life or others' lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening.

Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD. These events can include:

Combat or military exposure
Child sexual or physical abuse
Terrorist attacks
Sexual or physical assault
Serious accidents, such as a car wreck.
Natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake.

After the event, you may feel scared, confused, and angry. If these feelings don't go away or they get worse, you may have PTSD. These symptoms may disrupt your life, making it hard to continue with your daily activities.

How does PTSD develop?
All people with PTSD have lived through a traumatic event that caused them to fear for their lives, see horrible things, and feel helpless. Strong emotions caused by the event create changes in the brain that may result in PTSD.

Many people who go through a traumatic event don't get PTSD. It isn't clear why some people develop PTSD and others don't. How likely you are to get PTSD depends on many things. These include:

How intense the trauma was
If you lost a loved one or were hurt
How close you were to the event
How strong your reaction was
How much you felt in control of events
How much help and support you got after the event

PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not happen until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. About half (40% to 60%) of people who develop PTSD get better at some time. But about 1 out of 3 people who develop PTSD always will have some symptoms.

What are the symptoms of PTSD?
Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be terrifying. They may disrupt your life and make it hard to continue with your daily activities. It may be hard just to get through the day.

PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not happen until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer than 4 weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work or home life, you probably have PTSD.

Even if you always have some symptoms, counseling can help you cope. Your symptoms don't have to interfere with your everyday activities, work, and relationships. Most people who go through a traumatic event have some symptoms at the beginning but don't develop PTSD.

There are four types of symptoms: re-living symptoms, avoidance symptoms, numbing symptoms, and feeling keyed up.

Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms):

Bad memories of the traumatic event can come back at any time. You may feel the same fear and horror you did when the event took place. You may feel like you're going through the event again. This is called a flashback. Sometimes there is a trigger: a sound or sight that causes you to relive the event. Triggers might include:

Hearing a car backfire, which can bring back memories of gunfire and war for a combat veteran
Seeing a car accident, which can remind a crash survivor of his or her own accident
Seeing a news report of a sexual assault, which may bring back memories of assault for a woman who was raped.

Avoiding situations that remind you of the event:

You may try to avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the traumatic event. You may even avoid talking or thinking about the event.

A person who was in an earthquake may avoid watching television shows or movies in which there are earthquakes
A person who was robbed at gunpoint while ordering at a hamburger drive-in may avoid fast-food restaurants
Some people may keep very busy or avoid seeking help. This keeps them from having to think or talk about the event.
Feeling numb:

You may find it hard to express your feelings. This is another way to avoid memories.

You may not have positive or loving feelings toward other people and may stay away from relationships
You may not be interested in activities you used to enjoy
You may forget about parts of the traumatic event or not be able to talk about them.
Feeling keyed up (also called arousal or hyper-arousal symptoms):

You always may be alert and on the lookout for danger. This is known as increased emotional arousal. It can cause you to:

Suddenly become angry or irritable
Have a hard time sleeping
Have trouble concentrating
Fear for your safety and always feel on guard
Be very startled when someone surprises you
PTSD in children and teens:

Children can have PTSD too. They may have the symptoms above or other symptoms depending on how old they are. As children get older their symptoms are more like those of adults.

Young children may become upset if their parents are not close by, have trouble sleeping, or suddenly have trouble with toilet training or going to the bathroom
Children who are in the first few years of elementary school (ages 6 to 9) may act out the trauma through play, drawings, or stories. They may complain of physical problems or become more irritable or aggressive. They also may develop fears and anxiety that don't seem to be caused by the traumatic event.
What are other common problems?
People with PTSD may also have other problems. These include:

Drinking or drug problems
Feelings of hopelessness, shame, or despair
Employment problems
Relationships problems including divorce and violence
Physical symptoms
What treatments are available?
Today, there are good treatments available for PTSD. When you have PTSD dealing with the past can be hard. Instead of telling others how you feel, you may keep your feelings bottled up. But talking with a therapist can help you get better.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one type of counseling. It appears to be the most effective type of counseling for PTSD. There are different types of cognitive behavioral therapies such as cognitive therapy and exposure therapy. There is also a similar kind of therapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) that is used for PTSD. Medications have also been shown to be effective. A type of drug known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which is also used for depression, is effective for PTSD

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Answer 2

But you probably felt your life was endangered or those of others. How do you go to war and it not happen? That alone causes PTSD. You don't have to be blown up or see death to be through trauma. Being sent and seeing war or an enemy dying is just that, why so many have it from it.

You may be showing minor symptoms now in your opinon. Trust those close to you and listen when they something is wrong. You can supress many symptoms through "self medication" ranging from always staying busy by working too much to partying, or risky sex to agoraphobia and drinking. It is almost endless how we can cope, but we eventually run out.

The normal symptoms can come on delayed, even by years. It is very horrible then and still very normal. You have it hit and have no clue why at first. I went 14 years before I had flashbacks and the myriad of other symptoms.

I would say it is just PTS and not PTSD trying to kick in but the time period has been too long. I suggest see a trauma therapist ASAP to do all you can to avoid full blown symptoms coming later. Good luck.

Answer 3

PTSD can be in many forms depending on the situation.
i have it, but from a different situation as you.

After the trauma, there is abnormal function of the normal defense systems, which results in certain symptoms produced in three different ways:

1. Re-experiencing the trauma
For example, the person may relive the experience as terrible dreams or nightmares or as daytime flashbacks of the event

2. Persistent avoidance
The avoidance refers to the person's efforts to avoid trauma-related thoughts or feelings and activities or situations that may trigger memories of the trauma.

3. Increased arousal
These arousal symptoms include sleep disturbances, irritability, outbursts of anger, difficulty concentrating, increased vigilance, and an exaggerated startle response when shocked.

From your description you seem like you have accute PTSD and the sensory which has been disturbed is your sense of sound. anything that sounds like the trauma you experienced sets off the mental images of what happened. If it bothers you that much maybe you need to seek some CBT (cognative behavioural therapy).
Take care
xx

Answer 4

The main symptoms of PTSD are:
hypervigilance (always looking over your shoulder)
trouble sleeping
dissociation
fear
jumping at noises
constant thoughts of things that remind you of the trauma
depression
anxiety
anger

You could have PTSD from just being over there. And if you are jumping when people do normal things, it sounds like you have some minor PTSD. You might want to seek help.
Find a "trauma-based" therapist who could help you process your experiences.

Answer 5

Every one has a different level of it I think but it is among us and they don't just have to be or been in the service. Now i was in for 20 yrs and have my own level of it. I'm also hard of hearing so that adds to it some. I hve been out now on 11 yrs and hve had three major surgeries, and will jump at just about any loud noise, hell even dog barking makes me jump. i was walking in the yrd the other day and heard(as it turned out an air gun) but I drop for cover. The 4th of July is not a good time of yr for me. Now if I'm setting them off is one thing but just out of the blue, I'll drop and cover or at least jump. It takes time and lots of rebuilding, but you will not be the same until they put u in the ground and then u cn be at piece at last.

Answer 6

PTSD covers a lot of ground. that was what they labeled me after being sexually abused as a child. all that means is you've been through a trauma and are having problems dealing with it after the fact. it can present as depression, ocd issues, problems handling stress and anger. it is kind of a broad diagnosis.

Answer 7

It is becomes serious when it disbles you frrom living your normal life, for example: constant nightmares and insomnia, a loss in emotion or empathy, you are colder emotionally, you have developped as hield that does not allow you to have relationshis with people, etc... If you can still live well and do not suffer from depression you are ok.

Answer 8

Some of the long term effects are having nightmares, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite and problems with your memory.

Answer 9

PTSD sucks, as I have it and have been told this week that I'll be like this for life. I was hoping for a "normal" life.
I hope my abusers rot in hell.

Answer 10

Best wishes !!
The trauma of war
is a hard thing to
shake. Saw this
happen with my
brother.
Good Luck &
Thanks for your
bravery !!