Understanding
Understanding PTSD
PTSD is what happens when the brain's threat-response system stays activated long after the original event has ended. Symptoms cluster into four categories: re-experiencing (flashbacks, nightmares), avoidance, negative shifts in mood and cognition, and hyperarousal (startle, vigilance, sleep disruption). The symptoms are not character flaws. They are the predictable physiology of unresolved trauma.
PTSD frequently coexists with depression, anxiety, substance use, and chronic pain. An accurate evaluation considers the full picture so treatment can address what is actually driving distress today, not just the surface symptoms.