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Mental health professionals agree that the signs of trauma can take many forms, but the following are most commonly observed:
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Sleep problems:
Victims report fitful sleep, or having trouble falling asleep.
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Detachment:
Feelings of not belonging, or not fitting in any longer.
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Numbing:
Feeling neither highs nor lows of emotion
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Thrill-seeking:
Victims seek out dangerous pursuits in an effort to overcome numbing, or to be able to feel any type of emotion again.
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Alcohol abuse:
Drinking may increase in an effort to block the pain, or to help with sleep disorders.
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‘Short Fuse’:
Formerly affable people lose their sense of humor, and snap at the most minor of irritants.
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Denial:
Victims repeatedly deny that anything is wrong with them, despite marked personality changes.
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Avoidance:
Any talk or mention of the incident is studiously avoided.
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By Rory Thompson
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Signs of Stress 