Select a condition Absence seizures Acne ADHD Age-related macular degeneration AIDS Alzheimer's disease AMD Amebic dysentery Anal tears Angina, stable Angina, unstable Ankle sprain Anorexia Anxiety Appendicitis Arthritis Asthma in adults Asthma in children Athlete's foot Atrial fibrillation Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Autism Back pain Bacterial vaginosis Bad breath Bedsores Bedwetting Bell's palsy Benign prostatic hyperplasia Bipolar disorder Bladder infection in women Blood pressure Breast cancer Breast pain Bronchiectasis Bronchiolitis Bronchitis Bulimia Bunions Burning mouth syndrome Burns and scalds Canker sores Cardiac arrest Carpal tunnel syndrome Cataracts Cellulitis and erysipelas Chickenpox Childbirth, heavy bleeding Childbirth, tear or cut Chlamydia Chronic bronchitis Chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic prostatitis Chronic tension type headache Cold sores Colic in babies Colon and rectal cancer Colon and rectal cancer screening Colonic diverticular disease Common cold Conjunctivitis Constipation in adults Constipation in children COPD Crib death Deep vein thrombosis Dementia Depression in adults Depression in children Diabetes, type 1 Diabetes, type 2 Diarrhea in adults Diarrhea in children Diverticular disease Ear infection, middle ear Ear infection, outer ear Ear infection with discharge Ear infection with fluid Ear pain during air travel Ear wax Eczema Emphysema Endometriosis Enlarged prostate Epilepsy Episiotomy Erection problems Essential tremor Febrile seizures Fertility problems Fibroids Flu Gallstones Genital herpes Genital warts GERD GERD in children Glaucoma Gonorrhea Gout Group B streptococcus H. pylori infection Halitosis Hay fever Headache, chronic tension type Head lice Heart and circulation problems in diabetes Heart attack Heartburn Heart failure Heavy periods Heel pain Hemorrhoids Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Hernia Herpes, genital Herpes simplex eye infection High blood pressure High blood pressure in pregnancy High cholesterol HIV infection Hyperactivity IBS Incontinence in women Infection in newborn babies Infertility Influenza Insomnia in adults Irritable bowel syndrome Jaundice in newborn babies Jet lag Kidney infection Kidney stones Leg cramps Leg ulcers Lewy body dementia Lung cancer Lyme disease Macular degeneration Malaria prevention Manic depression Mastalgia Measles, mumps and rubella: prevention Melanoma Meniere's disease Meningococcal disease Menopause Migraine in adults Migraine in children MMR prevention Morning sickness Multiple sclerosis Nail infection, fungal Neck pain Nicotine addiction Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Nosebleeds in children Obesity Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD Oral thrush Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Ovarian cancer Painful periods Pancreas cancer Panic attacks Parkinson's disease PCOS Pelvic inflammatory disease Perineal care Peripheral arterial disease Peripheral vascular disease Pneumonia Polycystic ovary syndrome Postpartum depression Postpartum hemorrhage Post-traumatic stress disorder Preeclampsia Pregnancy, nausea Premature birth Pressure sores Prostate cancer Prostatitis, chronic Psoriasis PTSD Raynaud's disease Rectal cancer screening Recurrent cystitis Reflux in children Rheumatoid arthritis Scabies Schizophrenia Seasonal allergy Shoulder pain Sickle cell anemia Sickle cell disease SIDS Sinusitis Skin cancer (melanoma) Skin cancer (squamous cell) Sleep apnea Sleep problems in children Slipped disk Smoking Sore throat Stomach ulcers Stress headache Stress incontinence Stroke, emergency care Stroke prevention Sudden infant death syndrome Swimmer's ear Tennis elbow Tension headache Testicular cancer Thrush (oral) Tic douloureux Tinnitus Tonsillitis Toxoplasmosis in pregnancy Trigeminal neuralgia Underactive thyroid Urinary tract infections in children Varicocele Varicose veins Vascular dementia Warts Whiplash Wisdom teeth, impacted Wrinkles Yeast infection, vagina

Select treatment area Bladder & Kidneys Blood Brain & nervous system Cancer Children's health Diabetes Digestive system Ear, nose & throat Eating & weight Eyes Fertility Heart and circulation Hormones Infections Lungs & breathing Men's health Mental health Mouth Muscles & bones Pregnancy & childbirth Sexual health Skin Sleep Staying healthy Travel health Women's health

It's normal to feel upset and sad after you've lived through a frightening or life-threatening event. But if you're having a hard time getting on with your life, and you haven't started to feel better within about a month, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

If you get symptoms for at least two days within the first month after going through a frightening event, then you may have acute stress disorder. It's important to get help for this because some people who get acute stress disorder go on to get PTSD. But if you get treatment early you may be able to keep from getting PTSD.

Most people usually have symptoms of PTSD right after they've been through a traumatic event. But sometimes they don't get symptoms until months or years later, although this is less common.¹

If you have PTSD, you may get the following symptoms.²

You may having vivid memories of the event that you lived through.³

Things that remind you of the event, such as the anniversary of when it happened or a type of car, may spark strong memories or flashbacks. You may feel as if you are going through the event all over again.⁴ You may also have terrifying nightmares.

You may try to avoid people or places that remind you of what you went through.^{5 4}

You may try to avoid talking about or thinking about the event. And you may also feel that you can't remember much about it.

You may feel distant from your friends and your family. Or you may find it difficult to express your feelings.⁴ This can put a strain on your relationships. And it may make it hard for you to work.⁴

You may also lose interest in things you used to enjoy and feel very pessimistic about the future.⁴

Living through a frightening event may make you tense and nervous.⁴

You may be easily startled and feel jumpy. You may get upset when something happens without warning.²

People who have PTSD often say that this edginess makes them feel irritated and angry. And it can make it hard to concentrate.⁴

If you've been through a frightening or life-threatening event, you may find it hard to get to sleep.⁴ Or you may have a hard time staying asleep. This may be because you are having nightmares.

Another symptom of PTSD is feeling edgy or like you need to be on your guard. This may also affect your sleep.

If you have PTSD, you may also:⁵

• Feel dizzy
• Have pains in your chest
• Have headaches
• Feel like your heart is beating fast or beating very strongly
• Feel nauseated.

You may get other symptoms if you have PTSD. We've listed some of the most common ones below. But not everyone gets these symptoms, and you probably won't get all of them. Which symptoms you get often depends on what type of event you've gone through. For example, people who survive when other people have died often feel intensely guilty.⁴

You may:⁴

• Act without stopping to think about what you are doing
• Feel hopeless
• Feel guilty
• Let go of beliefs (such as religious faith) that you once felt strongly about
• Feel threatened and vulnerable
• Feel despairing
• Have a change in your personality. For example, you may not want to spend time with other people even though you used to like going out all the time and being around lots of people. Or your partner or members of your family may notice that you've gotten irritable and snappy when you used to be laid back and relaxed about things.

Children can get PTSD too. Their symptoms may be different, it is just as important that they get help as soon as possible.

For more information, see Children and PTSD.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.