The Signs A Loved One May Have PTSD [& How to Spot Them]

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PTSD affects more than just veterans - in fact, nearly 70 percent of people have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. It can also lead to other mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.
There is hope for recovery from post traumatic stress disorder when you learn how to spot symptoms like nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance, arousal, and other triggers.
In this eye-opening interview, clinical psychologist and PTSD expert Dr. Christina Iglesia shed light on the signs a loved one may have PTSD and how to spot those symptoms.
Follow Dr. Christina on...
INSTAGRAM: / dr.christina_
TWITTER: / drchistina
Her Mental Health Campaign: www.hashtagtherapyiscool.com/
Her Website: www.drchristinaiglesia.com/
___________________________________________________
Dr. Christina and MedCircle host Kyle Kittleson discuss what the following DSM criteria for PTSD actually look like in an adult, teenager, or child:
1. “A response to a traumatic event that involves intense fear, helplessness, or horror.”
2. "Re-experiencing the event, through... images, thoughts, dreams, even illusions and flashbacks...[and] internal or external cues that resemble or symbolize the trauma.”
3.“Avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma.”
4. “Persistent symptoms of increased arousal.”
Dr. Christina also sheds light on how to help a loved one who is experiencing any of this symptoms, and how to get them on the road to the right treatment.
This video can help you help a loved one who may be suffering from the fear, isolation, hypervigilance, and distrust that can accompany trauma and PTSD.
#PTSD #MentalHealth #MedCircle

[@MedCircle]

Register for our next FREE live event on trauma healing HERE: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3416068462286/WN_aYGoNIXzRxCtOW8et2PiEQ

[@internationalentertainment6906]

THANKS KYLE...SAYS, DJ.DEB.USA**)

[@urs1386]

Same here. 45 years after mother killed herself (I was 5) and I still cry. Knowing that I’m just making space for her is just beautiful.

[@bettyboo1927]

What a lovely way of saying it.

[@jubbl3z]

i am so sorry, please stay strong and know you are loved

[@smiletodaykatie]

No joke this is one of my favorite mental health channels. Interviewer is so so easy to listen to, very likable guy. It truly helps! Thank you for all this rad content!

[@jusenboite]

He's annoying imo

[@jfjdjdji723]

Crying is good for you. It releases tension and emotional pain.

[@rongike]

​@@misherun5797 I think it depends on whether it's crying out of sadness or crying out of severe depression and hopelessness. with the later crying can be a bad idea.

[@TURBOMIKEIFY]

Until you relive the flashbacks/memories again (me). I'm in a sense of flat affect. My tinnitus is louder than my thoughts (or lack thereof). My brain is completely empty except when I type this comment.

[@shahilagh]

exactly when I cry it means I m in a good state .. when I don't it is an alarm

[@internetguy5434]

What if i can't cry when i want to?

[@shahilagh]

@@internetguy5434 exactly we r holding it inside .. can u scream

[@tm13tube]

My grandmother lived next door from the time I was 6-16. The two weeks before she died I sat with her all day in the hospital. I remember one thing she said to me during those 10 days. She said, “Why do they keep sticking these needles in me? My mother said, “That was my momma.” She nor dad ever acknowledged she was my grandmother. I was sent to stay with cousins I barely knew. After the funeral I was put in the car with our pastor for the two hour drive home. Tears finally came but I thought it would get out of control so I dissociated. I remember tears and hard rain. That was August. The next memory I have is getting up late for school in October and asking mom why she didn’t wake me up. She said she was taking me to get my drivers license. I had no memory of starting a new school in September. For the next 25 years when the subject came up I’d tear up. After a couple months of therapy I realized I wasn’t her favorite. She merely let me follow her around because I was there and didn’t get in her way. I cried for a month. Now I can talk about her and remember things like the time she pointed out a mint plant and plucked a leaf for me to taste or watching her redo her hair bun and she turned to me and said, “A woman’s hair is her glory.” I’m in my 70th year and can sit on my hair. I never cry for her now. She is part of me.

[@kateraby2419]

I am sorry you went through that trauma of losing your grandma without the support and guidance of your parents, and were left to figure it out on your own! I am glad for you it seems like the pain of your mother's disinterest has mellowed over time. I wish i could go back in time to little girl you and tell you that you mattered and were loved!

[@sustainablyyours61]

Living in the society we do, there seems to be a mentality that showing our emotions is something we need to examine and regulate. Labels of negative and positive emotions is damaging. Once you label something as good or bad we start to judge ourselves and others based on societal norms. There is nothing wrong with remembering a loved one via some sort of stimuli and shedding a tear or two. I still shed a tear whenever I remember loved ones, no matter how long they have been gone.

[@SandiTink]

One of the problems I have that this video helped me understand is that just because I had repeated terrifying trauma, those incidents don’t negate the small traumas. I’ve always thought that I was defective when I couldn’t handle what everyone around me considered an everyday type of event, like a grandparent dying. It never dawned on me that someone stealing my Christmas present was traumatic to a two year old. I was expected to not display any emotion about it or discuss it with anyone, which made it more traumatic for me. When you add up all the small, medium, large, and unbelievably awful traumas I’ve experienced, it’s no wonder that I have so many mental and physical health issues. Thank you. It helps to understand that it’s not just the “big ticket” events that caused the PTSD. When you assess the cumulative trauma, my problems make much more sense to me.

[@pinoytizen6617]

I currently have PTSD. My life changed started when both my parents died. My wife left me together with my 7 YRs old daughter. I can't stay on a company longer than 1 year. I just AWOL on my previous company and I'm jobless this coming Christmas. I always feel that I will gonna die either heart attack or stroke. I don't feel safe even inside of my house. I need help but I don't know where to get. Life is getting hard for me...

[@SilverSurfeq1989]

There is always HOPE.

[@MrTwinkieeater]

Update?

[@perrystalsisworldofbiology767]

I think losing your mother at 16 would count as a traumatic event. Bravo to you for carrying on. I don't get close to anyone. So when they die, I don't have to be upset. Those times I have cried, I was so embarrassed I wanted to stab myself in the gut to stop the feeling. Anyway, great channel. Looking forward to working my way through all the videos.

[@LizbetPCB]

What about when you’re unable to cry at all following trauma, where once crying appropriately was possible. Being unable to cry at all is a problem. Thanks to you both for this video.

[@NubleMarie]

Trauma can lead people to experience symptoms of dissociation/depersonalization, where you might feel disconnected from yourself or your emotions-this might be the case for you

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

Try Somatic Experiencing therapy

[@Turquoise.Violin]

This discussion was so good 🙌 🙌 🙌 🙏 Kyle (great interviewer) and the doctor 👩🏻‍⚕️ (so articulate)... I just love the way she explains things. 💖💖💖

[@FergusScotchman]

I'm glad this is a great in-depth view of a specific area of issues from several people. The questions asked are great.

[@codacreator6162]

I think crying for a loss like a mother is normal for you if it doesn't interfere with the rest of your life. I've suppressed my emotions for so long that I don't know what they are anymore, but they incapacitate me. That's not only not normal, it's unhealthy. And this incapacitation slips easily into a loop of self-reinforcement, which leads to feelings of despair, failure, worthlessness and ultimately, suicidal thoughts. The longer this loop prevails, the closer I come to giving up. I recognize this pattern and want nothing more than to break out of it, but my self-image is so low in my middle 50s that I can't even see what that might look like.

[@perrystalsisworldofbiology767]

Hey coda creator, I feel your pain. I am in my 50s too and feel much the same. To me, it seems like time is running out to start living after a neglectful childhood. I too, am stuck in an endless loop of self-sabotage and self-hatred for being a chronic under achiever. I'm just sooo tired. I can't see much interesting happening in the years I have left. Just wake up, do stuff then go to bed. Repeat. Anyway hope you are ok and not feeling too bad if and when you read this reply.

[@dintelignt]

God I feel this. This is me.

[@serrecewinter8119]

trauma has taken over my life I can't sleep its hard to eat and I'm sad angry or scared constantly I try drinking but even then memories flood my mind and I can't regulate emotions navigating the counseling lists is scarry but I understand the need for more help

[@Lindsay1581]

I hope you're doing better. I'm sorry for what you've gone through.

[@urs1386]

Wow. Really awesome! Thank you for an excellent much needed talk

[@ladyesther]

When he mentioned his mother being associated with the piano and how he couldn’t handle hearing classical music at time. That really touched me and I started to cry. I can relate to judging myself for my emotions. I am learning to let myself cry and trying to be kinder to myself. Thanks for sharing that Kyle.

[@dmerrell9723]

I think this video is calling out every single thing that is wrong with both the medical and mental health systems. Incorrect diagnosis and improper treatment is so abundant. It’s a total roll of the dice on what you get.

[@SY-tn2io]

Great video! Would love to see more content from her!

[@gigireg5567]

The hymn, Rock of Ages, used to make me cry. It was used at my brother's funeral. Elderly men which reminded me of my deceased father I& brought tears while I was part of a caroling group.

[@oazazdravlja5]

Amazing Conversation!Thanks very much both of you!👏👍🙏❤️

[@Mojocinco]

I really appreciate this channel. Thank you

[@MedCircle]

Thanks for supporting mental health education 🙏🏻

[@yahainHotPink]

Good video. Thank you for sharing. People can diagnose our own PTSD knowing our history and understanding what distresses us. But not all of us seek out professional help because of finances and I am also doing well. 😀 But I have had counseling sessions with pros before and they were lovely, and one pro was a horrible match for me.

[@nezofficial9860]

This channel is really helpful

[@RJ-hx5nb]

Oh ! I learned so much,,,Thank You.

[@fisharefriends598]

Yup. She knows what she’s on about

[@lidadiaz7795]

can a betrayed wife experience ptsd? especially if she has been betrayed a hundred times already? as per my experience, i get involuntary shaking whenever i get suspicious over my husband...

[@valhalla1240]

The question is rather: do you need a specific diagnosis such as PTSD in order to validate your struggle? Obviously this experience caused you a great deal of distress and emotional harm. Whatever the diagnosis may be, this definitely affected you tremendously and you deserve help.

[@urs1386]

I can’t see why not. It would be wonderful if you were able to desensitise yourself from that and have another way of managing it. X

[@fisharefriends598]

Yup. Once you mechanism for coping is overwhelmed and your body then manifest uncontrolled physical conditions, that’s coming into ptsd. Specifically.. fight or flight, hyper vigilance she calls it.. I see it as always expecting so see what your fear is, always on the look out for it like a meerkat....fear, anxiety, depression reliving the event. It’s not the situation.. it’s the persons interpretation of the trauma they experienced... But I’m not a clinician.. seek professional help

[@tm13tube]

Yes, I believe it. Listen to your body. It’s not my place to give you advice. This is my experience. See a therapist to help separate gaslighting from reality. Trust yourself. Listen to your body. A serial cheater can’t be trusted. It’s not your fault.

[@earthangel3108]

Yes!

[@roslyndouglas2184]

This was excellent.

[@Katteraxx]

what about C-PTSD? can you guys do an episode on that please?? Shoutout MedCircle

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

Check out Tim Fletcher's KZbin videos

[@silentfriend369]

She's amazing. Wow.

[@thisbrokenmachine]

I have ptsd but i have been told that when i am in a bad situation i act calm even though everything is chaos. I have not served in the military i just grew up in horrible neighborhoods and i treat my friends like my family. I once carried my friend running for three miles bc somebody tried to play a joke on me at night.

[@cpnstbn1266]

Due to the nature of my trauma, I have a long list of “triggers” a lot of which are so common they can’t be avoided, such as hearing laughing, car horns and many words, including hearing my own name. I don’t know how to overcome this. I don’t completely ignore things that are strong reminders of the trauma, even though that trauma occurred over at least hundreds of hours, which has left me fearful all day long and thinking of suicide all day long every day. I also have not cried about the situation once, even though I’ve spent countless hours shaking, puking, pacing, but no crying. I will cry when drunk about other things but not the trauma, which was life destroying experiences

[@elmiravaliullina]

I can definitely relate to you Kyle regarding the sound of the piano reaction. I am Ukrainian and my mom is a piano teacher. When the war started my mom was there (in Sievierodonetsk) and every day I begged her to evacuate and every day I was saying goodbye to her not knowing if I will see her again. I had flashbacks from my childhood when she’d play piano every evening and I felt I will miss her playing piano so much. She is now safe with me but every time I hear her playing piano I cry.

[@elizabethmarielunacordoba9956]

I have lots of negative trauma in my life due to the fact my family are all negative people all the time 😖 I been suffering with depression and at one point anger all last year I fell in deep anger and deep very deep depression I only wanted to end my own life because of all the pain I was dealing with. All my cousins also are so negative to me all the time they always ignore me but I am slowly learning to let them go ☺️

[@Yimpa_Joy]

This dr is great!

[@joannemacdermott6458]

My life is destroyed by 16 years of PTSD when a divorce ended with me separating from children. I am not Irish but lived in Ireland at the time. Today if I hear an Irish accent I am so triggered right back to that time and how my children are gone from me. I can’t sleep, I have nightmares and I don’t trust anyone. I cannot deal with relationships of any sort with other poeple and it makes work so difficult. I am happiest being totally alone because I can control my environment and rest from flight or fright. It’s so important to hear this information so I know there is a reason for my issues

[@lauragadille3384]

I suffered this after watching my grandma passing from cancer and being sexually assaulted in college

[@Lindsay1581]

I'm so sorry 💜

[@Chrissygirl8707]

I was clinically diagnosed w/ PTSD while I was in the military. I was in patient care.

[@lilafeldman8630]

Maybe I should become a trauma therapist. I've done so much of my own work over the past few years, and I get it. I'm already a nurse.

[@sowmiyaangel1512]

How did u done ur own work?

[@lykoe4045]

Thank you

[@kimberlykrupke5715]

My father died when I was just 7yo. Last week we were at a venue where I smelled automotive grease. It stopped me in my tracks. My dad worked with large construction vehicles and our garage always smelled like grease. I'm 55 and it really shook me. I was diagnosed years ago with Bipolar disorder. I am starting with a new therapist to figure out if PTSD is a more appropriate diagnosis.

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

If you don't have issues sleeping/cycling in and out of depression and possibly mania, then it's probably not bipolar. I was diagnosed with bipolar after I got retraumatized thanks to my previous psychotherapist just to, ultimately, get the diagnosis of complex PTSD from a trauma focused therapist. Choose your therapist wisely. A trauma informed/specific therapist might be what you need and can put you on the right treatment plan. Much health to you. ☀️

[@kimberlykrupke5715]

@@alexandrugheorghe5610 Thank you for the information. might just find a therapist well versed in trauma.

[@TG-nh6ni]

I tend to cry and/or get angry whenever promises are broken. 😬 No military experience whatsoever...

[@adelheidesser7855]

I was abused by my ex-husband and then two fiancés. Plus, my mother, sister, brother, brother-in-law and raped.

[@adelheidesser7855]

I have been diagnosed with PTSD

[@debralucas2224]

I am so sorry such awful things were done to you... I wish you peace 🌹

[@jessie420straya]

Yehh my grandfather sexually abused me from 8 to 14 , n nearly lost my dad at 9 from a motor bike accident,, caused me to suffer ptsd. Its fkn horrible . Hope u are ohkae ♡♡♡

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

I was sexually abused by my father when I was 3. And then by another, older than me, kid. Not to say of pinching from one guy part of a group in a night club one night when I was having fun.

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

I was diagnosed with complex PTSD.

[@phyphycheung]

What can supporters do when their loved ones are isolating themselves and refuse to engage?

[@Ohkeh640]

I do that. It helps me a lot as many people trigger me or are rude or abusive etc. as long as they’re safe just be supportive and just let them know you’re there for them anytime

[@geoffoutdoors]

Trauma is life. Period. Watching my father die from cancer, my mother have a stroke right in front of me...and then nursing her back to health after breast cancer, heart bypass surgery, heart valve replacement, heart failure...with little to no help. Life....IS trauma.

[@78twood]

I think I may have ptsd. I have no insurance so I’m looking at videos to get some ideas on self help 💜

[@thetruckersmanifesto3873]

I never 1 time really looked at it. I just know, I freak out. My stomach swells up, my eyes swelling up, black eyes for a month. Panic ridden. Scared. Thinking people Wana kill me.

[@dianebarron8362]

my nephew has PTSD and was in the Marines and came home and went through a divorce and is now working as a policeman is that advisable?

[@Catlily5]

I feel anxious all the time. Sometimes it is worse and sometimes it is not as bad. I think this is from being abused by my father as a child. But I also have Autism which I heard comes with a lot of anxiety. So PTSD, Autism or both??

[@ProGamer-gk6ix]

The primary treatment for PTSD is psychotherapy, but can also include medication.

[@silentfriend369]

Wow. He's amazing too! Lol

[@TURBOMIKEIFY]

As a heterosexual male, I don't see myself as a type to check out women in a sexual way anymore. When other men talk about women in that way, I just passively agree to get off of the subject. I drink milk a lot because her kisses tasted like milk, and I LOVE MILK! I smelled her perfume, and instantly ran away from the area. Women get close to me and I tense up and slowly move away as I'm very uncomfortable. I still believe I'm in a relationship with her, albeit a one-sided one. Blonde haired, thicker women scare the absolute shit out of me. Hell, even gray with black wheel Jeep Grand Cherokees give me great anxiety because that's the car she owns.

[@emilymiller449]

My ptsd causes seziures. I rarely hear that mentioned

[@tarikmounih3559]

It's good , I wish it was Short Dear! 🙂

[@bigthunder2860]

When all your friends are dying around you,That will get your attention

[@violetangelflame1]

Also a question. I have a best friend. She's friends with the other ladies in our senior apts also. There is one lady she's said she she was close to more than the others. 3 years ago my friend left to visit relatives for 3 months. When my friend got back they acused her off taking someone's else's opiate pills. There last she thought she was close to stood with the other ladies. My friend was hurt so bad. Well this yr the same thing happened. She left for 3 months and when she got back they kind of all turned on her. I have known her for ages and she's the most honest person. She is more honest than I am. But the lady she thought she was friend with stood beside the other ladies against her again. Now the problem. It's been nearly 3 weeks and she cries all the time, she spends 24/7 in bed,. She really acts like she lost her while family in a car accident or something. I know others who have lost their husbands aft 59+years of marriage. She grew up with an alcoholic Father and he mind many boyfriend. She saw her beaten all the time and tried at. I feel this losing a friend has triggered something much bigger. She's been diagnosed with PTSD. Yrs AGO BY HER

[@violetangelflame1]

MD DIAGNOSED HER. SHE'S GOT

[@violetangelflame1]

She's a messed and it's just getting worse. She's gotten so bad she can't pay her bills or anything. I offered to help but.... Oh my goodness.

[@violetangelflame1]

I'm 67 and since I started to even remember the really horrible stuff that happened (a round 1997). I've had at least 2 horrible nightmares a night which is much better since taking Prazosin. A high blood pressure medicine that brought my nightmares down from 5-6 a night to 1-2 a night. I found out about the drug from a veteran who has PTSD from his time in Vietnam. It was a God send!

[@lisasaxon7828]

I have PTSD, anxiety and depression. I have several ongoing chronic injuries that have occurred since 22, Im now 55. Seen several psychologists over many years but currently seeing one I feel good about. Have been trying to deal with pain issues for many years and recently spoke to a pain specialist that mentioned Prazosin, I remember distinctly as he said it was for high blood pressure. I’m glad to hear you’ve tried this, I, more keen to do so as my anxiety n ptsd has made my dreaming even worse than my usual weird ones I’d have. It’s very stressful when you go over things in your dreams, it’s hard enough in waking life to think over stuff…you certainly don’t need to be dreaming it too.I’ll ask my GP about starting this up soon. Ty n stay well ok

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

Try EMDR.

[@FSCHW]

I thought a previous Med Circle video said a PTSD diagnosis only applies for near death experiences.

[@vintagenovember]

Feeling Helpless and unprotected can cause it too

[@annfeeney1662]

I disagree . a car accident damaged my back and negatively affected my marriage and my ability to make a living .

[@travisslaughter451]

I almost die Batten thanks this why I friend which Pressed this why I do went to work

[@Patricia-cp2zg]

I'm afraid I'll never get through this

[@xyz-xw7ye]

You can do this

[@--AC]

Regarding the discussion here about "females have a higher prevalence..." etc. Men will typically be more reluctant to seek help for things like this, so there are probably many more than get officially counted in the studies. And then hearing the female prevalence thing potentially increases the reluctance even more

[@Skoopyghost]

I have probably have PTSD main reason for my addiction issues. The DSM-IV uses bad science which I don't condone.

[@lopirobinson1991]

Healthy or unhealthy; is the feeling or response impeding your happiness and life? If the answer is yes then that's an issue. If you can break down for a few moments and collect yourself okay then I would say you're in an okay place. Anything that causes harm to your life or the lives of those around you than that would be, I say, considered unhealthy.

[@thetruckersmanifesto3873]

Pissed me off like a mofo when I found out my brother n sister had it. Didn't tell me. Knew it 2. No one told me. Just let me go on suffering , going through jobs. Walking through Walmart with guns locked n loaded for 25 years. Didn't know I had it till today.

[@crispyone2564]

Thank God for 1.5 playback speed. They had to have slowed this for some reason because it sounds normal

[@tigrisrgn4062]

ptsd is a bastard, at 28 years old now all of a sudden i have it and nobody knows

[@thetruckersmanifesto3873]

Anyway I'm like 100 sure I belong on disability man. No doubt. Truck driver, never had a job more then 6 months in my life, running 🏃‍♀️ never stopped even to look at it long enough to think I was sick. Running like a wounded animal just been shot. Guts hanging out, ran away at 14 never stopped. I don't think safe be around.

[@thetruckersmanifesto3873]

Ask my mom or something. People tried killing me. 3 times.

[@monaphilpott1]

PTSD was around in WWII. I know my father had it.

[@Kafka04]

👍🏽

[@thetruckersmanifesto3873]

I had people try kill me because ibwas so fuckud up. I didn't know I had it. I thought inwas normal.

[@thetruckersmanifesto3873]

Glade it's not skitzofrinia, it's trama n stuff. Not hearing voices. Survival stuff. Staying alive. When I'm sitting in church I don't hear a word. I'm watching body language, reading the pulse of the room. Watching there movements, remember a song or 2 though that's it.

[@lonetune7169]

Oh freak I have all symptoms of pstd

[@daviddiehl-gy2sq]

Doesn't do a damn bit of good if those that should help refuse to.

[@acherubsstory139]

It didnt originate from war it was first given a nam Ethen by Bessel Vaned Kolk !

[@PhoenixtheII]

When PTSD simply means existing in this society...

[@thomasrehder613]

Yeap just to be poisoned with klonopib thank you just made my life 10 times worce

[@littlesoul9618]

I had C PTSD From trauma

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

Check out Tim Fletcher's KZbin videos

[@thetruckersmanifesto3873]

Might not talk with them anymore.

[@thetruckersmanifesto3873]

People been say I was fucked up for years, never 1 time sit down say hey, look I've known u my whole life. I think u got trama deal with. Doctor or something. Not 1 time

[@thetruckersmanifesto3873]

I could of died I had no clue

[@theresaibler6942]

😍

[@rebeccadonaldson1464]

Looking at PRSD as a result of a Single Event Trauma is 40 YEARS Out of Date. It is straight out of the DSM-3. Long after Veterans were seen as the largest group of sufferers from PTSD, the Femanist Fundamentalists showed that Women who have been sexually assaulted or worse are the biggest group. We are now in the 21st Century, not the 1980's. In the UK alone there are 18 Million Children under 18. (2016 Census), out of which Families Need Fathers estimates there are 4 Million Children growing up, having had One Primary Survival Attachment Severed. (Gingerbread {single parent group} estimates the figure to be 4.1 Million) It is about long past time that you started realising the vast pandemic of people who have ONGOING TRAUMA, many for Years. The Vast Majority of PTSD is Complex, and NOT the result of a Single Event. Overall it is known as "Parental Alienation" and is so devastating it is Intergenerational, affecting how such a child will parent when they have grown up and have children of their own.

[@Ohkeh640]

He’s talking too much I washed her to explain more and symptoms etc

[@monaphilpott1]

Why so much eye makeup?

[@alexandrugheorghe5610]

Why not?