
Symptom of PTSD – Depression
Many people diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder have increased risk of suffering from depression, this has been implicated as the link between PTSD and a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder.
Depression is one of the most common disorders to co-exist with PTSD. Scientific research has reported that around 48 percent of people diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder also suffer from depression.
People diagnosed with PTSD often report overwhelming feelings of guilt, self-blame for the traumatic event they were involved in. Guilt is an emotional response that arises if the individual ‘froze’ in light of the threat. The ‘Freeze Response‘ is part of the Fight or Flight response. It is a natural but more importantly, automatic, self-preservation mechanism that the neo-cortex (area of the brain known to control thoughts, logic, planning and will) has very little power to overrule. This means that, even if the individual wanted to fight the threat or flee the situation, there is little they are able to do. Despite growing understanding of the underpinning mechanisms of the stress response, it is not widely known, subsequently, depression is still prevailing.
Feelings of shame have also been accountable to the social withdrawal that often accompanies a diagnosis of PTSD. Individuals struggle to muster motivation for life and experience extreme feelings of isolation and loneliness.