People with PTRS can experience a range of symptoms, including rage towards their former partner, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, or nightmares of abusive experiences, changes in eating or sleeping habits, and extreme psychological distress when reminded of the trauma.
Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. You may need to get professional help if these thoughts are making it hard for you to go about your daily life.
Generally, the most debilitating aspects of grief will begin to subside within six months. However, there is no specific timeline regarding how long breakup grief will last, as other mental health disorders could turn into complicated grief or prolonged grief disorder.
Symptoms of PTSD
Intrusive symptoms such as persistently re-experiencing upsetting memories, nightmares, or flashbacks. Avoidance behaviors of feelings or external reminders.
Stage 1: Shock
This stage is particularly pertinent if you were the one who was broken up with and if you didn't see it coming. The shock of a breakup is all about pain, disorganization, and confusion, Gullick tells mbg. You may try to rationalize it and feel an immense need to understand what went wrong.
It is possible, real, and valid to experience PTSD after an abusive relationship. Living in a toxic relationship can take an extreme toll on mental health, and the negative effects of that relationship often last far after a break up.
The effect a romantic split can have on one's social life, is arguably an area that is often overlooked. Some of the most common social struggles an individual faces after a breakup include diminished work productivity, a loss of interest in social activities, and reduced motivation to leave the comforts of their home.
Both studies revealed that people felt rejection more acutely when someone else was picked over them than when it was for no one else. This suggests that being left for someone else romantically can be pretty much be an even bigger heartbreak.
Women experience more emotional pain following a breakup than men, researchers have found. They reported higher levels of both physical and emotional pain.
There are many parts to this experience, including grief and loss, or feeling overwhelmed by all the practical aspects of putting your life back together. However, for most people, the most terrible depression after a breakup comes when it damages your self-esteem and makes you start to feel bad about yourself.
Signs of Relationship Trauma
Flashbacks: Flashbacks are vivid, intrusive thoughts related to a traumatic situation. They can be incredibly distressing and cause a person to feel as if they are reliving an event. These intrusions may be repetitive and unwanted.
Experiencing the loss of a relationship due to a breakup or death is traumatic. People will likely feel strong emotions immediately following this trauma. According to the National Institute of Mental Health , these reactions are intense and can last for several weeks or months.
Experiment with a variety of coping skills to discover what works for you — go for a walk, call a friend, write in a journal, practice meditation, or listen to music. Whatever you do, make sure you do things that help you go through painful emotions without creating more long-term problems for yourself.
After a relationship break-up, men can often feel a deep sense of loneliness. This is because relationships can provide us with companionship and social support, which are important for emotional wellbeing.
Stressful life events, like a breakup, can trigger depression. But it's possible to have depression-like symptoms without having a mood disorder. It's important to know what symptoms to look for.
Researchers suggest that feeling betrayed, rejected, or not anticipating the end of the relationship may increase your chances of developing symptoms of depression. Also, if you have a personal history of depression or bipolar disorder, you may have a higher chance of developing depression after a breakup.
Relationship PTSD, or post traumatic relationship syndrome (PTRS), is a form of traumatic stress caused by abusive or unhealthy relationships. Relationship trauma can cause lasting damage to self-esteem and make it difficult to form close, healthy relationships with others.
“In order for a breakup to be healthy, you've got to have space to process your emotions–both with the other person and even more importantly, with yourself. Explore what you're feeling and why. Ask yourself questions. And most importantly, don't judge yourself or your feelings.”
Even ifyou were the one who initiated the split, there are five stages ofgrief that you will go through. They are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, according to Mental-Health-Matters. These are the natural ways for your heart to heal.