Can you see PTSD?

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the most common mental health disorder after depression, but it’s often left undiagnosed and untreated.

And while not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD, we know that about 5-10% of Australians will suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives. This means that at any one time over 1 million Australians have PTSD.

27 June is PTSD Awareness Day.

A day to raise awareness, to support those affected and to learn more about the signs.

Many people that have PTSD don’t realise it, and only half of those affected will seek treatment. Learning to see the signs is the first step to better mental health.

The main signs of PTSD include:

• Re-living the traumatic event through distressing, unwanted memories, vivid nightmares and/or flashbacks.
• Avoiding reminders of the traumatic event, including activities, places, people, thoughts or feelings that bring back memories of the trauma.
• Negative thoughts and feelings such as fear, anger, guilt, or feeling flat or numb a lot of the time.
• Feeling wound-up, which might mean having trouble sleeping or concentrating, feeling angry or irritable, taking risks, being easily startled, and/or being constantly on the lookout for danger

PTSD can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, but recovery and renewal are possible.

This PTSD Awareness Day, help us help others to see PTSD.

For more information visit our PTSD page or watch the videos on our Recovery Online hub.