Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex mental health condition that develops after being involved in or witnessing a traumatic event. Traumatic experiences, resulting symptoms, and PTSD will all vary from person to person. As with most mental health conditions, it is a very individual experience.
Once PTSD develops, the progression of symptoms and longevity depend on multiple factors. Understanding PTSD and the interconnected nature of underlying factors can help you on your journey to finding support and healing.
Common Symptoms
PTSD can manifest in a variety of ways, all of which tend to disrupt your quality of life.
Re-experiencing: Recurring thoughts or nightmares about a past event can make it difficult to leave the experience behind. Oftentimes, these flashbacks are extremely vivid and leave you feeling like you’re going through the trauma over and over again.
Mood changes: After living through or witnessing a trauma, you may feel numb, ashamed, or guilty. In some instances, you may also feel detached from your reality.
Avoidant behaviors: Situations that are triggering can become difficult to manage. As a result, you may avoid the people or places that remind you of what you’ve experienced.
Hypervigilance: When worried about something, we naturally tend to be on high alert. After a trauma, this can transition into a full-blown feeling of looking over your shoulder.
Increased agitation: If you have PTSD, you’re more likely to be easily startled, feel jumpy, experience difficulty sleeping, and have an increased reactivity, causing anger or irritability.
The Varying Timeline
When it comes to the development of PTSD and the onset of symptoms, three months after the event is typically the starting point. For some, it may be sooner. For others, it could be years down the road.
Any present symptoms may be consistent or vary in severity based on situational factors. In some cases, symptoms may start to decrease naturally over time. The majority of people living with PTSD require appropriate treatment and directed therapeutic interventions to find relief from whatever symptoms they may be experiencing.
Without intervention, PTSD can go on for years, decades, or an entire lifetime. This ongoing PTSD can be chronic or experienced on and off with periods of remission and then symptom recurrence.
Factors that Influence PTSD
First and foremost, the type of trauma you’ve experienced is one of, if not the main, influencing factors. If you were involved in a car accident, your symptoms and likelihood for PTSD will be different than if you were involved in military combat for an extended time. It will also be different if you were directly involved in a situation or if you were a witness to it.
Additional factors include your current mental health state at the time of the event, your current coping skills, and personal resilience. Having a toolbox of helpful coping strategies at your disposal will set you up better than someone who does not have experience with healthy methods. Your level of resilience when faced with mental challenges also factors into the mix.
Having a social support system is crucial for determining the longevity of PTSD. Having solid relationships with your friends and family, where you can lean on them during periods of struggle, can aid in recovery. Isolation, on the other hand, can prolong symptoms.
Similarly, your access to the proper care will also make a difference. Early intervention is the best kind. If you’re able to consult with a healthcare professional and start a personalized course of treatment, you’re likely to reduce the duration of symptoms. When certain interventions aren’t as easily accessible, it can make your journey more of an uphill battle.
Finding Recovery
PTSD is known to be a longer-lasting condition, but it’s important to note that healing is possible. Whether your symptoms are new or have been ongoing, PTSD therapy can help. Developing greater resilience, achieving personal growth, and finding a renewed sense of purpose are all possible with the right course of care. Contact us today to get started with a free consultation.
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