Reliving (flashbacks, nightmares), avoiding reminders, constant alertness, and dark shifts in mood and thinking - persisting for weeks to months and interfering with work and relationships.
NIMH draws the line: most people's post-trauma reactions lessen over time; PTSD is when they persist and start to interfere with daily life, and people can feel frightened even when nothing dangerous is happening. Symptoms usually start within months but can appear years later. It is very treatable with trauma-focused therapy and certain medications.
What to do
Common questions
What are the signs of PTSD?
NIMH frames the line clearly: nearly everyone has stress reactions after a traumatic event - trouble sleeping, bad memories, feeling on edge - and most people recover as those reactions lessen over time; PTSD is when the symptoms persist for an extended period and begin to interfere with daily life like relationships and work. The symptom clusters: reliving - flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive memories that feel like it is happening again; avoidance - steering around places, people, conversations, or thoughts that touch the event; arousal - being constantly on guard, startling easily, sleeping badly, irritability and angry outbursts, trouble concentrating; and cognition and mood - guilt, blame, numbness, lost interest, distorted beliefs about the world or yourself. People with PTSD can feel stressed or frightened even when nothing dangerous is happening. The timing note: symptoms usually start within months of the event but can appear years later. PTSD is very treatable - trauma-focused therapies and certain medications have strong evidence. If you are struggling, call or text 988 in the US, or your local crisis line. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can help you describe the pattern to a clinician.