While they sound similar, PTSS vs PTSD are different conditions with one notable similarity. Both appear after you have a traumatic experience, such as sexual assault, childhood abuse, or a natural disaster.

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome?

Upon experiencing (or witnessing) a tragic event, you may develop post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS). Also referred to as post-traumatic stress, this is a normal brain response to both common trauma (i.e. a car accident) and uncommon trauma (i.e. kidnapping).

When we experience these traumas, our brains become hyper-alert, reacting in our bodies with several responses, including:

• Excessive sweating
• Faster breathing
• Muscle tension
• Overall nervousness
• Rapid heartbeat
• Shaky hands
• Strong sense of fear
• Trembling

Some refer to these reactions as our “fight-or-flight” response – our body’s natural reaction to an oncoming ordeal. This reaction is largely caused by excessive blood pumping throughout the body and oxygen into your muscles. Simultaneously, you shut down functions that are less critical at that moment, such as the digestive system. ¹

Since this reaction is considered normal (especially in cases of intense trauma), mental health professionals don’t consider PTSS a mental disorder.

Still, PTSS can linger even after the traumatic event has occurred. People with PTSS may become cautious of people, places, or things that remind them of the event. Furthermore, they may develop bad dreams or a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). ²

Luckily, most cases of PTSS subside within a few days. If you continue to struggle with the condition long afterward, you’ve likely developed PTSD.

What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that triggers anxiety symptoms upon reminders of a traumatic event. In other words, if you’ve witnessed or experienced trauma, you may develop anxious symptoms concerning that trauma. ³

The most common PTSD symptoms are as follows:

• Avoiding people, places, and things that remind you of trauma
• Difficulty in maintaining relationships
• Easily startled or frightened
• Emotional numbness
• Feeling detached from those around you
• Guilt or shame
• Irritability, anger, aggressiveness
• Lack of interest in activities you previously enjoyed
• Loss of hope in the future
• Memory problems
• Overall negative thoughts
• Reliving of traumatic events
• Self-destructive behaviors (i.e. self-harm)
• Social isolation
• Sleep problems (i.e. nightmares)
• Trouble with positive emotions

Admittedly, the symptoms of PTSS vs PTSD are similar. The key difference is the duration and intensity of symptoms. While PTSS only lasts a few days, PTSD is a long-lasting and debilitating mental health condition.

What’s the Difference Between PTSS vs PTSD?

Since PTSS isn’t a legitimate mental illness, mental health professionals can’t diagnose it. As mentioned, symptoms of PTSS usually only last a few days. Therefore, most people will come to relax once time eases their stress.

However, if PTSS symptoms continue to affect you 30 days after a traumatic event, this can be an indication that you’ve developed PTSD.

With that said, many mental health professionals are taking PTSS more seriously in the hopes that it will provide a more accurate diagnosis for PTSD. In fact, screening tools (such as PTSS-14) have been able to indicate whether or not a person with PTSS is at risk of developing PTSD. ⁴

By recognizing PTSD early, a patient has a much better chance of treating the symptoms appropriately.

When to Find Help for PTSS or PTSD?

Above, we laid out a set of symptoms you may experience from both disorders. It’s important to speak to a mental health professional if these symptoms inhibit your quality of life. They will put you on track to overcome these conditions based on a personal recovery plan.

Final Word

While PTSS wasn’t previously taken seriously, its indication for PTSD has furthered research development in testing protocols. In other words, you have a better chance to prevent PTSD development if a mental health professional can identify your risk factors based on PTSS symptoms.

For this reason, it’s important to seek out help as soon as you start to develop any set of symptoms. The earlier symptoms are intervened, the easier it is to improve quality of life.

References

¹ Goldstein DS. Adrenal responses to stress. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2010 Nov;30(8):1433-40. doi: 10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9. PMID: 21061156; PMCID: PMC3056281.

² Pillar G, Malhotra A, Lavie P. Post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep-what a nightmare! Sleep Med Rev. 2000 Apr;4(2):183-200. doi: 10.1053/smrv.1999.0095. PMID: 12531165.

³ Miao XR, Chen QB, Wei K, Tao KM, Lu ZJ. Posttraumatic stress disorder: from diagnosis to prevention. Mil Med Res. 2018 Sep 28;5(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s40779-018-0179-0. PMID: 30261912; PMCID: PMC6161419.

⁴ Twigg E, Humphris G, Jones C, Bramwell R, Griffiths RD. Use of a screening questionnaire for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on a sample of UK ICU patients. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2008 Feb;52(2):202-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2007.01531.x. Epub 2007 Nov 14. PMID: 18005373.