PTSD: An Explanation for Violent Behavior?

Our ability to form, store, and recall memories is a fascinating and complex skill, and there are multiple areas of the brain that help us hone this skill throughout our lifetime. PTSD may affect every area of your life and learning how to live with PTSD can be challenging. There is hope, however, and it’s possible to live well after experiencing trauma. Sometimes PTSD symptoms can be long-lasting and can have a significant impact on day-to-day life.

Complex PTSD

PTSD symptoms typically begin within 3 months of a traumatic event. Changes in memory, especially memory loss, are not uncommon in people living with PTSD. In fact, working memory ― the type of memory that allows us to store and recall short-term information ― seems to be one of the most affected types of memory in people with the condition. Unlike physical health conditions that can be diagnosed with a blood or imaging test, there’s no one-size-fits-all test for PTSD. That said, your primary care provider will likely refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist with experience in diagnosing and treating PTSD to test you for the condition. But it isn’t known if psychosis is sometimes a symptom of PTSD.

Can PTSD Cause Brain Fog?

Trauma-related nervous system effects are amplified in complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). Because of its broad effects on the nervous system, PTSD can cause some less well-known symptoms, too, including dissociation, brain fog, and physical pain. If you sometimes lack mental clarity and feel fatigued, you may be experiencing PTSD-related brain fog.

• It’s true that anger can often lead to unhealthy behaviors like substance abuse or impulsive actions.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness.
• Excessive alcohol use isn’t the only thing that can cause blackouts or brownouts.
• You can find out more information about ‘NHS mental health teams’ by clicking here.

Alcohol blackouts

Sometimes, they can be so distressing that patients stop the treatment before it’s complete. Panic disorder is different than PTSD in that the panic attacks that come with it are often spontaneous and unrelated to a past event. But a person with PTSD may experience a similar-feeling attack where their chest gets tight or they have shortness of breath. It was “shell shock” and “battle fatigue” before it was PTSD and is known to affect not just military veterans but anyone who has gone through an intensely traumatic experience. If you have dissociative amnesia, it’s important to remember that this isn’t something you can control.

• In fact, about six out of every 100 American adults (about 6% of the population) will have PTSD in their lifetime, according to the U.S.
• A review published in November 2018 in Nature of Science and Sleep noted that nightmares can occur through any stage of sleep but often happen at later points of the night.
• People often primarily view anger as a negative or harmful emotion.
• Trauma-focused talk therapy and medication are both helpful in treating PTSD.
• In both cases, medical problems, and drug or alcohol misuse, must be ruled out as underlying causes of these symptoms befor a PTSD diagnosis.

A trigger may be so big and so powerful that you mind shuts down. I jokingly call it my brain taking a vacation without me.  This can be lethal if they occur while driving. Being aware that you have them is extremely vital to coping with PTSD. Some people are so frightened by these mental blackouts that the use of drugs or alcohol may be used to cover it up.

Many people may resist talking about it or how they feel as well. For example, in one study from 2022, researchers investigated the link between PTSD diagnoses and symptom severity and the ability to remember everyday activities. It’s no surprise that we actually have different types of memory, both short-term and long-term ― and that PTSD may affect a person’s memory ability in different ways.

You may be able to manage PTSD brain fog and reduce its effects. Self-care measures can calm your nervous system which may help you think more clearly. If you live with CPTSD, you are more likely to experience a continued stress response with even less recovery time. For a brief moment, you may become trapped in the past or separated from reality. You may feel like you are looking at yourself from above or a different person entirely.

This is a powerful but ineffective way to cope with emotional pain. I say ineffective because blocking emotional pain does not process what happens. Physical pains, such as can ptsd cause blackouts a broken hand will heal themselves, emotional pain needs our participation in the healing process. Mental blackouts also known as dissociation but I keep this separate.

Diagnosis and Tests

• CBT helps you deal with your symptoms by making changes to how you think and act.
• Talking with others as a way of “getting your emotions out” can be effective in preventing anger from building up inside.
• For example, if you’re a careful driver, you might start driving too fast or be super-aggressive on the road.
• Psychogenic blackouts, also known as functional or dissociative blackouts, are sudden loss of consciousness or memory not caused by a physical medical condition or injury.
• Before treatment begins, your healthcare provider will ask questions to determine if you are currently in an unsafe situation that contributes to your symptoms.