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For example, after a bad car accident, a person who usually drives may avoid driving or riding in a car. These symptoms may cause a person to change his or her personal routine. Things that remind a person of the traumatic event can trigger avoidance symptoms. Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event.Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders of the traumatic experience.Words, objects, or situations that are reminders of the event can also trigger re-experiencing symptoms. The symptoms can start from the person’s own thoughts and feelings. Re-experiencing symptoms may cause problems in a person’s everyday routine.
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Flashbacks-reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating.At least two cognition and mood symptoms.At least two arousal and reactivity symptoms.To be diagnosed with PTSD, an adult must have all of the following for at least 1 month: In some people, the condition becomes chronic.Ī doctor who has experience helping people with mental illnesses, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, can diagnose PTSD. Some people recover within 6 months, while others have symptoms that last much longer.
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Symptoms must last more than a month and be severe enough to interfere with relationships or work to be considered PTSD. Symptoms usually begin early, within 3 months of the traumatic incident, but sometimes they begin years afterward. Some experiences, like the sudden, unexpected death of a loved one, can also cause PTSD. Not everyone with PTSD has been through a dangerous event. While most but not all traumatized people experience short term symptoms, the majority do not develop ongoing (chronic) PTSD.
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