Associated Problems
Posttraumatic
People with PTSD often experience feelings of
panic or extreme fear, which may resemble those
felt during the trauma.
Depression is often an additional problem.
Lowered mood can occur from living with the
symptoms of PTSD or the nature of the trauma
itself.
It is not uncommon for PTSD sufferers to engage
in potentially harmful habits and behaviours to
cope with their experiences.Thus, they may abuse
alcohol or other drugs in an attempt to block out
memories and to cope with the unpleasant
feelings.
Course of the Disorder
Some symptoms of PTSD can be seen as part of a
normal human response to an overwhelming
experience. In time, these symptoms disappear in
the majority of people. In some people however,
they are more severe and may warrant a full
diagnosis of PTSD.Without treatment in such cases,
the symptoms of PTSD may persist for many years.
It is not uncommon for symptoms to vary in their
intensity over time. In rare cases, they may not
appear for some months, or even years, after the
trauma.
Where symptoms are severe, or last for a long
time, the person should be seen by an experienced
mental health clinician.
Summary
The risk of exposure to trauma in an individual’s
Stress Disorder
lifetime is considerable and it is now accepted that
trauma reactions are far more common than once
thought.While most people recover from trauma GENERAL INFORMATION
with the help of caring family members and friends,
some will go on to develop more serious problems
such as PTSD.
Untreated, PTSD can become a chronic, disabling
The
disorder.Thus, diagnosis and effective treatment
should be sought at the earliest opportunity.Without
Nature of
treatment, individuals run the risk of symptoms
becoming more chronic in nature, resulting in
damage to work performance and relationships.
PTSD
No 1 in the PTSD series of
To find out more about PTSD, other veteran Australian Centre brochures
and military mental health issues or the
Australian Centre, please contact us at:
AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR POSTTRAUMATIC
MENTAL HEALTH (INC.)
A&RMC, 300 Waterdale Road, Heidelberg Heights
3081 AUSTRALIA.
Telephone: (03) 9496 2922
Facsimile: (03) 9496 2830
Email: acpmh-info@unimelb.edu.au
WebSite: www.acpmh.unimelb.edu.au
 In severe cases, the person may become “numb”,
What is PTSD? The Symptoms of PTSD withdrawing into themselves in an attempt to shut
out the painful memories and feelings.

STRESS DISORDER PTSD comprises three main groups of problems;

P OSTTRAUMATIC
(PTSD) is a serious psychological
reaction that develops in some people
following experience of overwhelmingly
frightening or traumatic events.
It can result from many types of trauma, especially
those which threaten life and those of human
design. Such events include, but are not limited to,
combat, assault, sexual assault, natural disaster,
accidents and torture.
they can be categorised under the headings of
intrusive, avoidance and arousal symptoms.
Individuals with PTSD often feel incapable of
responding appropriately to others.They may report
being unable to feel emotions, even toward those to
whom they are closest.
I N T R U S I V E S Y M P TO M S
Memories and images of the traumatic events may
This emotional avoidance and numbing inevitably
“intrude” into the lives of individuals with PTSD.
affects relationships. It may cause the individual to
This can happen in vivid daytime memories, as
withdraw from family or friends and makes it difficult
well as in dreams and “flashback” experiences.
for them to engage in a normal life. Often family
For people with PTSD, it may seem as though the
members may feel rejected by a PTSD sufferer who
present has become dominated by the past.
is unable to show appropriate affection and emotion.

These intrusive memories occur suddenly and

In one form or another, it has been known since
ancient times and descriptions of PTSD-like
reactions can be found in early Greek and Roman
writings. More recently, it has been called by other
names, such as shell shock, battle fatigue, accident
neurosis and rape trauma syndrome. PTSD can
affect people of any age, culture or gender.
Most people who experience trauma will have
some kind of psychological reaction - this is part
of a normal human reaction to overwhelming
experiences. Feelings of fear, sadness, guilt and
anger are common. However, most survivors
recover in time and only a small proportion will
go on to develop the serious, long-term problems
that are characteristic of PTSD.
without obvious cause.They are often accompanied
by intense emotions, such as grief, guilt, fear or
anger. Sometimes they can be so vivid that the
individual believes the trauma is re-occurring.
In traumatised children, this reliving of trauma
often occurs as repetitive play in which the event
is re-enacted. In young children, distressing dreams
of the traumatic event may evolve into general
nightmares of monsters or threats to themselves
or family members.
AVO I DA N C E S Y M P T O M S
Traumatic memories are very unpleasant.Thus,
traumatised individuals may avoid situations,
people or events which remind them of the event.
A RO U S A L S Y M P TO M S
Severe trauma can cause individuals to feel at
risk of further traumatisation.This sense of
vulnerability can leave them feeling “jumpy” and
constantly on guard. People with PTSD often
report exaggerated startle reactions and extreme
watchfulness. Sleep may become difficult and
disturbed.They may feel irritable and angry with
themselves, others around them and the world in
general.
Individuals with PTSD often report concentration
and memory problems.This, along with the other
symptoms associated with PTSD, may cause
sufferers to develop problems at work and impair
relationships with family and friends.