What are some of the symptoms of or related to combat stress or other traumatic stress reactions?
1) Symptoms of reexperiencing or re-living the traumatic event: • Bad dreams or nightmares about the event or something similar • Behaving or feeling as if the event were actually happening all over again (this is known as having flashbacks) • Having a lot of emotional feelings when I am reminded of the event • Having a lot of physical sensations when I am reminded of the event (e.g., my heart races or pounds, I sweat, find it hard to breathe, feel faint, feel like I’m going to lose control) • Symptoms of avoiding reminders of the traumatic event: • Avoiding thoughts, conversations, or feelings that remind me about the event • Avoiding people, places, or activities that remind me of the event • Having difficulty remembering some important part of the event 2) Other more general problems: • I have lost interest in, or just don’t do, things that used to be important to me • I feel detached from people; I find it hard to trust people • I feel emotionally “numb” and I find it hard to have
