PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after you have been through or witnessed a traumatic event — something that felt life-threatening, terrifying, or deeply distressing. This might be a serious accident, violence, sexual assault, combat, a difficult birth, or a sudden bereavement, among many other things.

After a traumatic event, it is normal to feel shaken and distressed for a few weeks. PTSD is diagnosed when those symptoms persist for more than a month and significantly affect daily life. Around one in three people who experience a traumatic event will develop PTSD.

PTSD is not a sign of weakness or a failure to cope. It is what happens when the brain's survival system gets stuck in "danger mode" after the threat has passed.

Common signs of PTSD:
- Vivid flashbacks — reliving the trauma as if it is happening again right now
- Nightmares or disturbed sleep
- Intrusive thoughts or images of the event
- Feeling emotionally numb or detached from others
- Being constantly on guard, jumpy, or easily startled
- Avoiding people, places, or situations that remind you of the trauma
- Strong emotional or physical reactions when reminded of what happened
- Feelings of shame, guilt, or self-blame — even when the event was not your fault

What helps:

The most effective treatments for PTSD are Trauma-Focused CBT and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing). Both have strong evidence behind them and work by helping your brain process the traumatic memory properly, so it stops intruding on daily life.

In the short term: keep a routine, lean on trusted people, limit alcohol and drugs (they worsen PTSD symptoms), and be patient with yourself. Recovery is possible — but it usually requires professional support.

When to seek help:

Please speak to your GP if you have been experiencing these symptoms, especially if it has been more than a month since the traumatic event. Ask specifically for trauma-focused therapy. If you are in crisis — especially with thoughts of suicide — call Samaritans on 116 123 or text Shout on 85258.

UK support:
PTSD UK — www.ptsduk.org
Combat Stress — 0800 138 1619 (for veterans and their families)
Rape Crisis — 0808 802 9999 (for survivors of sexual violence)
Samaritans — 116 123 (free, 24/7)
NHS Talking Therapies — www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies

Sources: NHS (nhs.uk), Mind.org.uk, PTSD UK, NICE guidelines on PTSD