Can a divorce cause PTSD?

When you are in the throes of divorce, it can be easy to neglect your mental health. After all, it may seem you have neither the time nor the money to visit a therapist. Still, according to Psychology Today, it is not uncommon for a divorce to cause a sharp decline in a person’s mental and emotional well-being.

While anxiety and depression accompany many divorces, it is also possible to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Without treatment, PTSD can continue to worsen. Therefore, if you have any of its symptoms, you should seek treatment immediately.

PTSD symptoms

For a PTSD diagnosis, you need more than a single event. If you regularly experience one or more of the following symptoms, though, you may want to pursue an official diagnosis:

• Flashbacks about your divorce or marriage
• Nightmares about your marriage or divorce
• Avoiding situations that remind you about your marriage or divorce
• Increased anxiety or depression

To help with your diagnosis, it may be worthwhile to create a log of your symptoms. Doing so can help a mental health professional measure the severity and duration of your PTSD. It can also assist him or her with formulating a comprehensive treatment plan.

Your mental health

Having PTSD can cause you to withdraw. It also can make it exceedingly difficult to make divorce-related decisions. Consequently, it is not advisable to ignore possible PTSD, as the condition is unlikely to go away on its own.

Ultimately, getting control of your PTSD can help you better manage your divorce while setting you up for a mentally healthy post-divorce future.