Shoot yourself in the foot?
Anxiety out of nowhere?
Panic when nothing’s wrong?
Mind never settles down?
Eating disorder? Overeat? Binge? Purge?
Diarrhea? IBS? Crohn’s?
Fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome?
Feel different? Don’t fit in?
Feel like you never belong?
Smoke to calm down?
Drink to forget?
Take drugs to numb?
Trouble trusting anyone?
Forget large segments of your childhood?
Mother who’s critical and impossible to please?
Abusive or abandoning father?
Alcoholic parent?
Suicides in family?
Denied medical or dental care as a child?
Control issues as an adult?
Perfectionist?
Anal retentive or obsessive/compulsive?
Wish you were dead?
Find life meaningless?
Don’t like to play or let your hair down or be silly?
Distrust your friends?
Have no friends?
Fractured family? People don’t talk to others in the family?
No sex?
Can’t get enough sex?
Dress to hide your body?
Dress to flaunt your body?
Hate your life?
Hate God?
Believe you’re a loser?
Behave in passive/aggressive ways frequently?
Say “I don’t know” a lot?
Experience gender confusion or sexual preference confusion?
Can’t say “no”?
Can’t make decisions?
This is a list of the most common descriptors therapists are likely to hear. It’s based on twenty-two years of observation and experience. It’s neither comprehensive nor conclusive. But if I heard you mention a number of these, I’d be aware of the possibilities of PTSD.