What are the signs of PTSD?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
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
- Give early reactions room. A rough first weeks after trauma is normal processing, not PTSD.
- Watch the month-plus mark. Symptoms persisting and interfering: that is the evaluation trigger.
- Name the clusters. Reliving, avoiding, on-edge, dark mood - the pattern speeds diagnosis.
- Get trauma-focused care. Therapies like CPT, PE, and EMDR have the evidence. In crisis: 988 in the US, or your local crisis line.
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