What are the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome?
People who have been exposed to traumatic experiences may notice any number of symptoms in almost any combination. The symptoms for PTSD are divided into three categories, as described below. Intrusive Re-experience of the Trauma People with PTSD frequently re-experience the trauma through distressing recollections. This is sometimes called a flashback, reliving experience or abreaction. The person may have intrusive pictures in his/her head about the trauma, have recurrent nightmares or may even experience hallucinations about the trauma. Intrusive symptoms sometimes cause people to lose touch with the “here and now” and react in the same fight-or-flight ways that they did when the trauma originally occurred. For example, many years later a victim of child abuse may hide trembling in a closet when feeling threatened, even if the perceived threat is not abuse-related. Avoidance People with PTSD work hard to avoid anything that might remind them of the traumatic experience. They may try
