
What PTSD actually is
PTSD is a normal physiological response to abnormal events. After exposure to a traumatic event — combat, assault, severe accident, sudden loss, medical trauma, childhood abuse — the brain's threat detection system gets stuck in 'on'. Symptoms cluster into four categories: intrusion (flashbacks, nightmares), avoidance (of triggers, thoughts, places), negative mood and cognition (numbness, shame, hopelessness), and arousal (hypervigilance, irritability, startle, sleep disruption).
- Intrusion: flashbacks, nightmares
- Avoidance of triggers and reminders
- Negative mood and cognition
- Hyperarousal and reactivity




