Post-traumatic stress disorder is certainly not limited to any specific gender. Both men and women can suffer from PTSD, and any traumatic experience can lead to this condition.
However, the ways in which society treats men and women, and how our culture can respond differently to their experiences of trauma, can affect the symptoms that people develop based on their gender. In fact, certain PTSD symptoms are more prevalent among women than men.
While men can, and often do, experience these symptoms as well, society’s response to trauma in women means that particular symptoms tend to crop up more often. Here are several PTSD symptoms that are more common among women than men.
Shame Surrounding Trauma
Women are often taught that if they experience something traumatic, they should have done more to prevent it. They might be blamed for their own mistreatment or told that they must have overlooked red flags in someone’s behavior. In other words, society tells women that their trauma is their own fault, rather than the fault of the perpetrator.
Therefore, many women living with PTSD also feel a great deal of shame regarding their trauma. They might spend lots of time asking themselves what they should’ve done differently. This societal messaging is extremely damaging, as trauma is never the victim’s fault.
Avoiding Triggers
Anyone with PTSD can develop triggers. These triggers can be almost anything. Someone who was traumatized at a particular place may not want to go anywhere that reminds them of this location. They may try to avoid seeing anyone who shares physical traits with the perpetrator, even if those people do not have a connection to the traumatic event.
Women with PTSD are very likely to try avoiding triggering situations in their daily lives.
Hypervigilance
Women with PTSD might be extremely jumpy or easily startled. This is known as “hypervigilance.” A woman who has lived through trauma might feel like she has to be on high alert at all times, and she may feel like her nervous system has been in overdrive since the traumatic event.
Even when she is in a safe situation, she can never fully relax. Women often become hyper-vigilant because they fear being physically hurt, and they are more vulnerable to these threats than men.
Emotional Numbness
The anxiety, depression, fear, and inner turmoil that often accompanies PTSD can become so overwhelming that many women with this condition become emotionally numb. This is another protective mechanism that develops subconsciously.
Dealing with this torrent of emotions can be debilitating, and putting up a shield of emotional numbness can feel like a temporary “solution.” Women often shoulder lots of domestic responsibilities that they can’t step away from, and in order to keep up with these responsibilities, they have to push their own feelings to the back burner and put on a brave face.
Guilt Over Symptoms
PTSD is not a condition that you can simply overcome on your own. Recovering from PTSD and addressing your symptoms in a healthy way typically involves some form of professional treatment. But rather than reaching out for help, they might internalize the blame and feel guilty about having symptoms at all.
They may feel like they simply have to be strong and cope with the symptoms on their own. Women are often encouraged to “put on a happy face” and take responsibility for others’ emotions, so they might not want to rock the boat by asking for help and support.
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Are you struggling with symptoms of PTSD? Talking to a therapist can help. Reach out to us to discuss your options for scheduling your first session.