Just like physical injury, psychological trauma can result in symptoms that vary in severity, intensity, and duration.
| Emotional symptoms | Physical symptoms | Cognitive symptoms | Behavioural symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbness and/or detachment Fear and/or anxiety Guilt and/or shame Anger and/or irritability Sadness and/or hopelessness Difficulty experiencing positive emotions | Fatigue and/or exhaustion Nausea, digestive problems, or changes in appetite Difficulty sleeping Increased heart rate, startle response, or feeling “on edge” Increased muscle tension | Difficulty concentrating and/or making decisions Intrusive thoughts and/or memories relating to the trauma A change in the way you think about yourself, others, and the world Difficulty trusting yourself and/or others | Social withdrawal Disengagement from typical responsibilities and activities Increased use of unhelpful coping strategies (like avoidance, alcohol, or substance use) |
Though these symptoms can be difficult to cope with, they are a normal response to traumatic events. When you experience a physical injury like a broken ankle, you might notice redness, swelling, and pain. These symptoms, while unpleasant, indicate that the body is healing and recovering.
Healing from psychological trauma takes time and effort. When the nature of the traumatic event is particularly severe or long lasting, symptoms may take longer to heal. This could develop into post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI).
A note about terminology: We use the term PTSD to refer to post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a diagnosable mental illness, and post-traumatic stress injury to refer to the psychological wounding people may experience as a result of a traumatic event. Mental health advocates have suggested the use of the term post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) to help focus attention on the experience of trauma. In this course, we will use the term PTSD when we are speaking about the diagnosis, and PTSI or post-traumatic stress when we are referring to psychological injury a person may experience as a result of trauma.