You might have PTSD if…

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-07

[00:00:00]You might have PTSD if you have any of these five symptoms.

[00:00:04]I'm Taff Shmait. I'm an ex-soldier living with PTSD.

[00:00:07]And doctors say that PTSD is often misdiagnosed as depression or anxiety.

[00:00:14]The problem being that the treatment for depression or anxiety is not necessarily going to help your PTSD.

[00:00:21]So, here are five symptoms that you're more likely to get with PTSD than with the other two.

[00:00:27]The first common symptom is reliving that traumatic experience.

[00:00:32]This is often called flashbacks, but it can cause nightmares.

[00:00:36]>> [music] >> And this can cause physical symptoms such as feeling sick, actually being sick, getting the sweats, pins and needles, and headaches. Secondly, is hypervigilance. And this is where the person can feel constantly jumpy or [music] on edge. Another effect of that is that that they won't be able to sleep properly. They'll have difficulty concentrating. So, they end up being quite [music] irritable, grumpy, and can even have outbursts of anger.

[00:01:02]Third is avoidance or feeling emotionally numb. And this is the key and classic symptom of PTSD. The person will try and avoid uh people, places, smells, or anything that reminds them of the traumatic event that they've suffered.

[00:01:19]Now, people will cope with this in different ways. And I have to be honest, I've been through the spectrum of these.

[00:01:24]Some people might not want to deal with it at all. They don't want to feel the emotions. And this can make them withdraw or from anything social.

[00:01:31]Speaking personally, >> [music] >> I stayed indoors for quite a long time, and I wouldn't even go to the pub. They give up the activities that they used to really enjoy.

[00:01:39]>> [music] >> Whereas on the flip side, other people will throw themselves into those activities or even find new ones, new hobbies. And it's all about distraction.

[00:01:48]It's all about taking their minds off the traumatic events and the the flashbacks and the memories. Other people will throw themselves all wholeheartedly into their work and then overwork. Number four is destructive behaviors.

[00:02:02]>> [music] >> Some people with PTSD will self-harm or self-medicate by abusing drugs or alcohol. Finally, anxiety and depression and even phobias can become symptoms in themselves. And that's often, the doctors say, why it can be misdiagnosed as as anxiety or depression because they're actually there and prevalent. So, if you've got any of these symptoms, or you're being treated for depression and anxiety, and you feel that the treatment's not working, then please go and see your doctor and explain that you think that you might have PTSD. What harm can it do? And follow me. I'm all right.