Hyperarousal and reactivity – post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
From the book – Chapter 10: Trauma, Grief and Loss
Hyperarousal and reactivity
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Irritability or angry outbursts.
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Reckless or self-destructive behaviour.
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Hypervigilance (always on guard).
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Exaggerated startle response.
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Difficulty concentrating.
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Sleep disturbance.
PTSD can occur soon after trauma or months or years later. It is treatable with specialised therapies and, when needed, medicines.
Read the full chapter – Chapter 10: Trauma, Grief and Loss
Stories from real life
- The Road That Kept Coming Back – Imran, thirty-five, a delivery driver in Lucknow, survived a night-time road accident in which his friend was badly hurt. For the first few days he felt…
- Six Months Since Ashok – Lakshmi, sixty-two, lost her husband Ashok six months ago in Coimbatore. At first neighbours filled the house and she was too busy to feel. Now the…
- The House Where She Always Listened – Nadia, twenty-six, works as a designer in Birmingham. She is talented but exhausted by relationships. As a child she grew up in a home where shouting…
- When the Water Came – Ravi, eight, lives in a village in Assam. Last monsoon, the river flooded the house in the night, and the family had to wade out in…
Shloks
- Patanjali Yoga Sutra 2.3 – The afflictions are ignorance, I-making, attachment, aversion, and clinging to life.
More on this topic: Trauma, grief and loss – healing at your own pace
More questions
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