In the lead-up to PTSD Awareness Day on June 27, psychiatrist Dr Rohan Menon is preparing to run a series of school and workplace sessions across Hyderabad. His goal is simple, to help people recognise trauma before it turns chronic.

Sometimes the symptoms look like sleeplessness. Sometimes it is unexplained anger, or sudden panic in crowded places. Dr Menon says what people often call stress or overthinking is, in fact, a response to trauma that never got processed.

PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, can develop after a person experiences a deeply disturbing or life-threatening event. It could be a car accident, an assault, a medical emergency, or even emotional abuse. The brain stays alert long after the threat is gone.

“PTSD doesn’t always look dramatic. Many people with it go to work, manage families, and appear fine. But inside, they are constantly exhausted or on edge,” he explains. “They may feel detached, avoid reminders of the event, or have nightmares and guilt they cannot explain.”

He says most patients do not realise what they are dealing with. “They come to me for anxiety or mood swings. Only when we talk about their past does the pattern begin to make sense.”

Treatment involves a mix of therapy and medication. “We use trauma-focused CBT, and sometimes medications like SSRIs. The goal is not to erase memory, but to reduce the fear attached to it,” he says. Most patients feel better after 8 to 12 sessions, though some need longer support.

He believes trauma should no longer be spoken about in hushed tones. “We cannot keep saying time heals everything. Sometimes time just hardens the shell around pain. Awareness days like this give us the chance to talk, and really listen.”