Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder that you develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. If you have PTSD, you may suffer from flashbacks or nightmares, and you may have intrusive thoughts reminding you of the terrifying event.

After going through a traumatic event, it can be difficult to cope, but with the right treatment program, anyone can get better. However, if your symptoms only get worse and last for months on end, interfering with your basic everyday life, you may have developed PTSD.

If you have this condition, it is essential to seek treatment. It only gets worse the longer it is left untreated, but the right treatment can relieve the symptoms.
Ketamine has been found to help relieve the symptoms of PTSD within hours, rather than the usual weeks some medications take.

Symptoms usually appear within the first month after the traumatic event but may not spring up for years after the event. The symptoms can drive wedges into your personal relationships or make it difficult to keep up to date at work or in school. 

They likely interfere with every aspect of your basic, everyday life and can stop you from carrying out the tasks you need to.

Generally, these symptoms are divided into four different groups. Continue reading to learn more about these symptoms and how they are classified.

There are recurring and unwanted memories or flashbacks to the event that started your post-traumatic stress. They may also take the form of nightmares or emotional and physical reactions to anything that reminds you of the initial event.

This is when you avoid thinking about, talking about, or going near anything or anyone that reminds you of the event.

This is when your way of thinking shifts to mostly negative thoughts, accompanied by many of the symptoms of depression, such as: feeling hopeless, social withdrawal, loss of interest in hobbies, and feeling emotionally numb.

This comes down to small things like being startled easily or being on edge seemingly all the time. This can lead to self-destructive behavior like substance abuse, or trouble sleeping and concentrating.

First off, the most important thing: PTSD is treatable. The sooner you seek out treatment, the more effective the treatment will be. One of the most common signs of PTSD is that you feel as if things keep getting worse as time goes on, rather than better.