The terms trauma, abuse, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are often used interchangeably. Sometimes people use the word trauma to describe an event, or to describe a response to an event. PTSD is oneway of responding to trauma.

Symptoms of PTSD include:

Re-experiencing- Disturbed sleep, intrusive memories, flashbacks, distressing dreams, nightmares, reliving the event, a view of the world as unsafe.

Numbing and Avoiding- Mistrust of others, isolation and disconnection, emotional numbness, low self-esteem, ability to remember events of feelings but not both, memory loss for certain events, loss of faith and hope.

Hyperarousal- Intense emotions, difficulty sleeping, panic and anxiousness, self-harm, risky behaviors, irritability, anger, difficulty concentrating