Common Symptoms

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), PTSD is characterized by the following primary symptom areas (applies only for adults and children over age 6):

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• Exposure to a traumatic event: Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one or more ways, including:

  • Directly experiencing the event

  • Witnessing the event occur in person

  • Learning that the event happened to a close family member or close friend

  • Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to distressing details of the event

• Intrusion or re-experiencing: Recurrent recollections of the event

  • Dreams, intrusive memories, and discernable prolonged distress and physical reactions to cues that resemble the traumatic event

• Avoidance: Fear and avoidance behavior

  • Avoidance of people, places, thoughts, feelings, or activities closely associated with the traumatic event

• Changes in Mood and Cognition: Negative alterations in emotions or thoughts

  • Exaggerated negative beliefs and self-blame for the traumatic event, detachment from others, loss of interest, persistent negative emotional state, reduced ability to feel positive emotions

• Arousal and Hyper-reactivity: Agitation, state of constant wakefulness and alertness

  • Hyper-vigilance, being easily startled, acting irritable or aggressive, recklessness, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating

 

Take, for example, somebody who witnesses a major car accident on a highway by their home. Over the following week, the individual begins to avoid driving on that highway and over the next month, avoids driving all together - either as a driver or a passenger. He/she may become irritable or angry while watching high-speed car chase scenes or avoid conversations about driving; yet, despite the apparent discomfort, the individual may refuse to discuss his/her fear. Moreover, although the witness is unwilling to discuss the fear or the traumatic event itself, he/she may still be haunted by the memory of the accident with segments of the event on “constant replay” in his/her mind.

Common Symptoms

Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks).

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These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time. You may avoid places or situations to prevent these feelings.

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Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling nervous, restless or tense

• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom

• Having an increased heart rate

• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)

• Sweating

• Trembling

• Feeling weak or tired

• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry

• Having trouble sleeping

• Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems

• Having difficulty controlling worry

• Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety

Complicated Grief

• Intense sadness

• Anger

• Irritability

• Difficulty accepting that whatever caused the grief occurred

• Excessive focus on the episode of grief or avoidance of it altogether

•  Thoughts of "joining" the deceased

• Sensation of hearing or seeing things

 

Major Depressive Disorder

• Feelings of guilt not related to grief

• Morbid preoccupation with worthlessness

• Sluggishness or hesitant and confused speech

• Prolonged and marked difficulty in carrying out day-to-day activities

• Thoughts of suicide

• Hallucinations and delusions

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If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms and they are starting to interfere with your life, job, future plans, mood or basic daily living activities, FaithWorks Therapy may help!

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Cognitive Behavior Therapy

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Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat a wide range of issues. It's often the preferred type of psychotherapy because it can quickly help you identify and cope with specific challenges. It generally requires fewer sessions than other types of therapy and is done in a structured way.

CBT is a useful tool to address emotional challenges. For example, it may help you:

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• Manage symptoms of mental illness

• Prevent a relapse of mental illness symptoms

• Treat a mental illness when medications aren't a good option

• Learn techniques for coping with stressful life situations

• Identify ways to manage emotions

• Resolve relationship conflicts and learn better ways to communicate

• Cope with grief or loss

• Overcome emotional trauma related to abuse or violence

• Cope with a medical illness

• Manage chronic physical symptoms