These feelings can last for minutes, hours, or even days. Many individuals with PTSD will begin to avoid certain situations or experiences that remind them of the original trauma. For some this can lead to fairly severe restriction in activity. More common mood symptoms include emotional numbing toward positive events and an increased reactivity toward negative events. This often results in the individual having difficulty feeling close to others or showing affection, while also feeling more irritable.
Some individuals show an increase in aggression and can become violent.
Anniversary reactions, or an increase in difficulty around the same time of year as the experience of the original stressor, are fairly common. In general Often individuals with PTSD have symptoms of other disorders, particularly depression, substance abuse or other types of anxiety. A subset of individuals will develop Acute Stress Disorder , a more immediate reaction to a stressful event in which symptoms only last for 3 months. Symptoms of PTSD typically develop within 3 months although some do not develop the disorder for a year. Other individuals develop symptoms of PTSD, but not the full-blown disorder.