How do I know if I have PTSD?

You an find a self-assessment questionairre on the PTSD Association website, located at: http://www.ptsdassociation.com/ptsd-self-assessment.php It is important to keep in mind that your self-assessment won't confirm whether or not you have PTSD. Only a trained mental health professional can provide you with a valid diagnosis of any mental health condition.

You cannot know for certain or self diagnose PTSD yourself.But this does not mean you cannot have many of the symptoms.It is work looking on a credible website which has the DSM criteria to consider if you feel you fit them.Then it is worth speaking to a mental health proffesionals but who can officially diagnose you may vary depending on your country.However it is worth being aware that not officially meeting the criteria for PTSD does not mean that your experiences are not consistent with some of the symptoms and that you have not experienced the after effects of a traumatic reaction.

If a significant amount of time has passed since your traumatic experience, but you continue to feel disconnected, lost, frightened, and sad, then you might have PTSD. If you feel "stuck" in the mindset of your trauma, you might have PTSD. Additional symptoms include flashbacks and increased anxiety, as well as interpreting events through a more traumatised lens.

you will know if you have ptsd if certain locations or events trigger something traumatic in your past, and those thoughts overwhelm you and block out all other relevant thoughts.

Get checked by the doctor things like this you never really know when you have them so take matters into your own hands and see medical attention

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be terrifying. They may disrupt your life and make it hard to continue with your daily activities. It may be hard just to get through the day. PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not happen until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer than 4 weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work or home life, you may have PTSD. Even if you always have some symptoms, counseling can help you cope. Your symptoms don't have to interfere with your everyday activities, work, and relationships. Most people who go through a traumatic event have some symptoms at the beginning but don't develop PTSD. There are four types of symptoms: Reliving the event, Avoiding situations that remind you of the event, Feeling numb, and Feeling alert and on the lookout for danger. Please Click the links for more information: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/tc/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-in-their-own-words

Because it reoccurs in my dreams. Certain situations will trigger me. Sounds will set me off. But mainly in dreams

You will show signs of re-experiencing the event or trauma. You will probably have flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of the place where the trauma occurred. These are just some of the signs.

You may have PTSD, if you may experience intrusive thoughts. Such as: Recurrent and unwanted distressing memories of a traumatic event. Maybe you are reliving a traumatic event which those usually are called flashbacks but feel very real. You could have upsetting dreams and nightmares to do with the traumatic event. You may experience emotional distress or physical reactions that may remind you of a traumatic event. Among all of that. You may often be irritable or angry, feeling constantly off guard, easily startled, having trouble sleeping. You may even engage in risky or dangerous behavior. Usually PTSD is common for people to have been triggered by sights, smells, or even feelings that involved a traumatic experience they went through. You can experience intense emotional and psychical reactions such as: increased heart rate, sweating, and muscle tension. Though with all of this said, please consult with a doctor to see what they can do to help and if it really is PTSD or maybe something else.