Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD)
PTSD arises from exposure to a traumatic event. The traumatic event(s) could be any number of things. It may have occurred in the workplace and/or in your personal life. Remember, if you found the event to be traumatizing (regardless of what is was), then it is traumatizing.
Symptoms of PSTD can appear immediately following the trauma or can be delayed by months or years. The onset of PTSD can be frightening and confusing. The symptoms vary, but may include things like flashbacks, emotional numbness, sleep related issues including nightmares, irritability, intrusive memories, hopelessness, difficulties with concentration and memory, anxiety and impulsiveness and self-destructive behaviours. In addition there is some information to suggest that PTSD type symptoms may result from Secondary Trauma. Secondary Trauma occurs when an individual is deeply affected by a trauma that did not happen to them directly. For example, someone who encounters traumatic events as part of their employment, an example might be a 911 operator. Secondary trauma is not a diagnosis in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Health Disorders at this time.