Mental Health

Can a Romantic Breakup Cause PTSD?

Can a Romantic Breakup Cause PTSD?
Written by Medhaavi Mishra

The Major Causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental condition which many people find themselves in after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. PTSD has its share in the population as it affects anyone from the young to the old as long as they meet a terrifying experience that they live with. A Dating Reviewer recently got the claims right that even a romantic relationship breakup can cause trauma.

Common Symptoms of PTSD

Well, it’s pretty easy to notice an individual who is living with this mental condition. The following are the commons symptoms:

  1.   Intrusive memories – A victim of a horrifying event will keep playing the events repeatedly, and it might seem weird sometimes. Either panic attacks or abrupt screams because of nightmares are a clear indication.
  2. Withdrawal – Individuals experiencing trauma-related symptoms end up distancing themselves from the familiar setting and begin to spend most of their time alone. It’s simply because, after a hopeless romantic breakup, either the shame, insecurity, or pain pushes them away.
  3.   Sensitivity – You’ll notice some changes physically, such as weight gain or loss, since people might choose to stress-eat or lack appetite after. Some emotional breakdowns and sensitive, emotional reactions will probably be present.
  4.   Somatoform disorder – Victims of trauma tend to develop mysterious illnesses that cannot be medically proven. Their bodies begin to react differently, although medically, they are perfectly okay.

What am I going to do now?

Romantic Breakup vs. PTSD

You might be in an unhealthy relationship, and you’re probably asking yourself how you can send that romantic breakup message for your girlfriend to call it off. Before you can consider that, you should ask yourself or get to know the consequences of a romantic breakup. So does a romantic breakup and depression go hand in hand? Definitely, YES. Without a doubt, a breakup is a straight ticket to PTSD, especially if the relationship was long-lived, toxic, or it is someone you shared a lot of memories with. However, there is a lot to that, so read on to find out.

What Does It Lead to?

So, concerning depression and trauma, where can that romantic breakup letter lead to mentally?

  1. Frequent assumptions that your former partner is around. Your babe’s departure develops insecurity of assuming that they are constantly watching you, especially if you’re planning to do something they didn’t agree with.
  2.   Missing your ex – The obsession of having your partner around soon catches up with you, and you find yourself missing their scent, touch, and presence in general.
  3.   Doing the same things you used to in your previous relationship – The mind is usually fixed on memories and recurring flashbacks of events and places you’ve been to. It may begin to influence you to do similar things, maybe with the hope that you might meet them or something.
  4.   Feeling that no one understands you – Normally, the mind tends to support you every step of the way, and as you get different opinions from third parties, you will feel like no one understands you.
  5.   Insecurities – A series of safety concerns, nightmares, and paranoia, especially if you were in an abusive relationship, will carry on after your romantic breakup love story.
  6.   Loneliness – Having lost your love will develop a void that will lead to loneliness, making regular nights seem colder and days longer.

A Scenario of How a Romantic Breakup Leads to Extreme Stress and Depression

A young, successful, and good-looking guy, Ted, was in a relationship with a charming and beautiful lady, Kate. They didn’t waste any time since they knew each other for six months since they met at that boat event that Bob had hosted. A lavish wedding and a memorable honeymoon was the best way to kick-start their marriage. However, they barely knew each other, and after a couple of months, their real colors began to show. Kate was a drunkard, and every single time she came home late after a night out with her girlfriends, she was met by fists (Ted was the violent type). It carried on for a while, and things never seemed to work out well for them. After a heated departure, Ted got himself arrested for domestic violence, and now Kate is nursing her wounds in a rehab drowning herself in romantic breakup songs.

Common Causes of Breakups

In romantic breakup movies, we often see that the major concern is to bring the couple back together, but do they consider why they are in such a situation?

▪       Infidelity. There’s no clear reason why partners cheat, but we tend to think that for some reason, they’ve convinced themselves that whomever they have is not enough, and thus they keep looking.

▪       Lack of provision. Provision is a man’s job, and when it becomes a big deal, then a lady might decide to leave since one of the things women need is financial security to avoid all the stress that comes with bills and needs.

▪      Poor communication. It all starts with how well you communicate with each other. Romantic breakup messages can seem rude and, at times, cause unrest, especially while in workplaces.

Loneliness is killing me!

How to Prevent PTSD-Related Cases in Relationships

We all aspire to know the tips and tricks to avoid getting ourselves in situations beyond repair. So, before you can comfort yourself with the endless lists of romantic breakup poems, what should you do to prevent stress and trauma in a relationship?

  • Build an understanding
  •         Communicate
  •         Invest in knowing each other
  •         Spend time to grow the connection

Mental Effects after Ending a Toxic Relationship

Once you’re through a romantic relationship breakup, you are vulnerable to several mental problems that might affect your life ahead. It generally takes a twist in your mental health and leads to several changes in behavior. So what mental effects arise after a breakup?

▪            Fear of commitments – The element of anxiety since you don’t want your previous relationship’s events to repeat

▪         Diminished self-esteem – Romantic breakup stories always end up with shame, which lowers one self-esteem and the rightfulness of belonging.

▪             Mixed feelings of guilt and relief – Sometimes, you might blame yourself for what happened, but you’re happy that it’s over at the back of your mind.

▪              Isolation – With all that’s happening in your life, loneliness will creep in and lead to isolation.

▪           Falling into another unhealthy relationship – The need to feel worthy again and loved might push you into other unhealthy or similar relationships.

▪             Finding it hard to let go – It’s not easy at times to accept what’s going on, and your mind can’t accept what’s done already and move on.

▪          Lack of trust in future relationships – You tend to carry lessons from the previous relationship, which will cause you to have trust issues in the future that’ll keep you on toes.

How to Treat PTSD

It’s not always bad news if you’re at a romantic breakup status. There’s always hope to recollect yourself and get yourself back in the game as soon as you are good to go. So how can you deal with post-traumatic stress disorder?

  1.   Communicate your experience – It’s often mentioned that a problem shared is half solved. The primary thing you should do upon receiving a romantic breakup SMS is to calm down and go through the process. If things get worse, you should let someone experienced and wise know what you are going through to figure out how to help you. Sharing your experience also helps comfort someone else who is in a similar position as they realize that they are not fighting alone.
  2.   Seek support. Professional help is critical, especially in extreme cases where effects are escalating and symptoms are becoming hard to handle. Joining your local support group will help you to get motivation, encouragement, and mechanisms that you can use to help you. There are different approaches to deal with PTSD, and you’ll be exposed to the one that will work best for you.
  3.   Give yourself time to heal. Time is what you need most so that you can take in all that is going on. The first step is to accept what has happened, which might be hard to swallow but is mandatory. You will then start the healing process, which involves letting go of possessions and traditions you shared with your previous partner. You will later work on your way to moving on, which will eventually lead you to get back in shape.

Closing Remarks

“Cute” is the common word used when a couple passes by holding hands and smiling all the time. The main aspect not seen by many is what the individuals go through and how much it takes. So does it mean that that withdrawn folk who doesn’t want anything to do in the world wasn’t that happy when they were in a relationship? PTSD strikes so badly after several romantic breakup quotes, and it is never noticed until it is so late and has caused a lot of damage already.

Have you been in a toxic relationship? How was the romantic breakup process? Did you suffer from depression after? Leave a comment!

About the author

Medhaavi Mishra