Some of these experiences can occur with PTSD, but they can also have other causes. This list is not a diagnostic test. Assessment considers your experiences, the pattern and duration of symptoms, how life is affected and other possible explanations. Learn how PTSD is assessed from the National Institute of Mental Health.
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Depression
- Sleeplessness, nightmares
- Helplessness or despair
- Anger or overwhelming emotions and outbursts
- Difficulty concentrating
- Flashbacks or recurring memories of the traumatic event
- Avoidance of activities people, or situations that may remind the individual of the trauma
- Racing heartbeat
- Difficulty breathing
- Stomach pain
- Sensory motor kinds of experiences like an overactive startle reflex or hyper vigilance
- Feeling emotionally overwhelmed with anxiety
- Underwhelmed with depression or fatigue
- Disruption to a person’s sense of identity
- Significant increasing feelings of self-shame, self-blame or disgust
- Intrusive cognitive thoughts, feeling and/or images related to the traumatic event
- Intrusive sensory experiences such as unwelcome smells, sounds, touch, taste
- Involuntary flash memories with overwhelming cognitions, emotions, sensation
