Behavioral:
• Change in activity levels
• Decreased efficiency and effectiveness
• Difficulty communicating
• Increased sense of humor/gallows humor
• Irritability, outbursts of anger, frequent arguments
• Inability to rest, relax, or let down
• Change in eating habits
• Change in sleep patterns
• Change in job performance
• Periods of crying
• Increased use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sugar or caffeine
• Hyper-vigilance about safety or the surrounding environment
• Avoidance of activities or places that trigger memories
• Accldent prone
Psychological or Emotional:
• Feeling heroic, euphoric or invulnerable
• Denial
• Anxlety or fear
• Worry about safety of self or others
• Irritability or anger
• Restlessness
• Sadness, moodiness, grief or depression
• Vivid or distressing dreams
• Guilt or "survivor guilt"
• Feeling overwhelmed, helpless or hopeless
• Feeling isolated, lost, lonely or abandoned
• Apathy
• Over identification with survivors
• Feeling misunderstood or unappreciated
Physical:
• Increased heart rate and respirations
• Increased blood pressure
• Upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea
• Increased or decreased appetite which may be accompanied by weight loss or gain
• Sweating or chills
• Tremors or muscle twitching
• Muffled hearing
• Tunnel vision
• Feeling uncoordinated
• Headaches
• Sore or aching muscles
• Light sensitive vision
• Lower back pain
• Feeling a "lump in the throat"
• Easily startled
• Fatigue that does not improve with sleep
• Menstrual cycle changes
• Change In sexual desire or response
• Decreased resistance to colds, flu, infections
• Flare up of allergies, asthma, or arthritis
• Hair loss
Cognitive:
• Memory problems/forgetfulness
• Disorientation
• Confusion
• Slowness in thinking, analyzing, or comprehending
• Difficulty calculating, setting priorities or making decisions
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Limited attention span
• Loss of objectivity
• Inability to stop thinking about the disaster or an incident
Social:
• Withdrawing or isolating from people
• Difficulty listening
• Difficulty sharing ideas
• Difficulty engaging in mutual problem solving
• Blaming
• Criticizing
• Intolerance of group process
• Difficulty in giving or accepting support or help
• Impatient with or disrespectful to others
(adapted from CMHS (Rev. Ed., 2000)