“But I was just like, ‘something is not right’.”<\/p>\n
The 41-year-old’s symptoms started after she experienced a domestic violence incident.<\/p>\n
“The nightmares were constant, it wasn’t like a once-a-year thing, it was like once a week,” she says.<\/p>\n
Louise, not her real name, says it wasn’t until she began working with new mental health professionals last year that they linked her symptoms to her trauma experience.<\/p>\n
“They said to me, ‘this is PTSD’,” she says.<\/p>\n
“I never really gauged that could be the case, I was just like, ‘oh, I’m just going through a thing’.”<\/p>\n
What are the symptoms of PTSD?<\/p>\n
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a collection of symptoms that may occur in the aftermath of a traumatic experience, says Professor Alain Brunet, the director of the National PTSD Centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Thompson Institute on Kabi Kabi lands.<\/p>\n
“People who suffer from PTSD can’t help but think about the event,” says the clinical psychologist.<\/p>\n
“So, it will recur in the form of unwanted thoughts, nightmares.<\/p>\n
“They will also avoid places, people or conversations that may remind them of those events, and their whole physiology is in a fight or flight mode.”<\/p>\n
![\"Alain](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/f2385779bbc755a2951917c3ebb5de96.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Alain Brunet is director of the UniSC Thompson Institute, National PTSD Research Centre. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
Symptoms<\/a> can include:<\/p>\n Re-experiencing the traumaAvoiding reminders of the eventNegative changes in thoughts and mood after the traumaFeeling “on edge” and overly aroused<\/p>\n “In the aftermath of trauma exposure, people are obviously affected by those events, but for a subset of people, those symptoms do not abate over time,” Professor Brunet says.<\/p>\n “If you’ve had significant number of symptoms over more than 30 days, you are likely to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.”<\/p>\n Alexander “Sandy” McFarlane, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Adelaide, says in the case of PTSD, the traumatic event “gets stuck” in someone’s memory.<\/p>\n “Normally, memory is something that is vivid in the immediate aftermath of an important experience, but then with the passage of time, will fade,” he says.<\/p>\n “The trouble for people with post-traumatic stress disorder [is that] these memories maintain their vividness.<\/p>\n “And they’re often not in a language form, they are the smells, the sounds, the intense emotions that people feel.”What type of trauma causes PTSD?<\/p>\n The illness has become one of the most diagnosed mental health conditions in Australia, affecting one in every 20 people over the past 12 months, according to Professor McFarlane.<\/p>\n He says there are many different types of traumatic events that can lead to PTSD.<\/p>\n “The most prominent cause of PTSD in the Australia is interpersonal violence,” he says.<\/p>\n When doomscrolling could lead to ‘vicarious trauma’<\/a><\/p>\n Exposure to traumatic content on social media can give some people PTSD. What are the signs to look for, and how can you protect yourself?<\/p>\n “Sexual assault is another really critical issue in civilian community, [as well as] motor vehicle accidents.<\/p>\n “And then there are those intermittent, large-scale events like the Bondi terrorist attack<\/a> or bushfires and natural disasters.”<\/p>\n Professor Brunet says there is an important factor that distinguishes PTSD from other common mental health conditions.<\/p>\n “In the case of post-traumatic stress disorder, you need to have been confronted with a life-threatening event or you’ve witnessed one.”<\/p>\n “It’s the red line between PTSD and other disorders like depression, anxiety or adjustment disorder.”<\/p>\n How to know if you have PTSD<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/3f07d57a790957007cff5055995d4485.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n