How Does PTSD Develop and How Long Does It Last?

What is PTSD?

PTSD is a mental health condition that develops after experiencing some type of trauma. This could include being involved in the trauma or witnessing a significant traumatic event.

PTSD typically includes having flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, mood changes, and heightened reactivity. When living with this, you may find yourself avoiding situations that can be triggering or always looking over your shoulder. PTSD can have negative impacts on your quality of life as a whole.

How Does PTSD Develop?

A traumatic experience can include violence, abuse, accidents, natural disasters, health/medical issues, or wartime efforts. There are both individual and environmental factors that can influence the onset of PTSD. Genetics, how your brain is wired to process emotions, social support systems, coping mechanisms, and your previous history, all lend themselves to your likelihood of developing it.

The development of PTSD can be viewed as a multi-step process.

Exposure

Development starts with the initial exposure. This can be a single event with any of the above-listed experiences, or it can be ongoing. Prolonged or repetitive trauma can be a contributing factor as well.

Initial Stress Response

As the trauma unfolds, your body enters into a fight-or-flight response. Stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, are released as your stress response is activated. You may experience an elevated heart rate, rapid breathing, nervousness, fear, or anxiety. Symptoms of stress and trauma may also vary from person to person.

Memory Encoding and Processing

When memories are made, they go through an encoding and storage process. After experiencing a trauma, these memories can be processed and stored differently than your usual memories. People often refer to this as “stuck” memories.

Stuck memories that aren’t processed correctly can linger and continue to cause disruptions in your daily life. They can cause flashbacks or strong emotional reactions to associated details.

Neural Changes

After a trauma, certain areas of your brain can also be altered from the experience, primarily the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Because of this, you may have difficulty regulating fear and emotional responses.

Symptom Presentation

The onset of PTSD doesn’t have a black-and-white starting point, but many people have reported symptoms within three months of the traumatic event. It’s worth noting that symptoms can still occur years later. It depends on outside variables and triggers.

How Long Does PTSD Last?

PTSD can fall under a few different categories. There’s acute PTSD, where symptoms last only a few months after onset. It could be considered chronic, where symptoms continue after the initial first few months. Or you could have a delayed onset PTSD, where symptoms manifest later on.

When undergoing the right treatment, you have the potential to recover within weeks to months, depending on the severity of your symptoms. If left untreated, however, these symptoms could hang around for years, potentially a lifetime.

Getting Help

Seeking the proper treatment is key to recovering from a traumatic experience. Despite using coping techniques, this isn’t something that easily goes away on its own. Therapy and working with a trauma-informed professional are the best ways to manage symptoms and get you on the road to recovery.

If you or someone you love is struggling with PTSD, help is a phone call away. Contact us today to get started.