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Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) is a mental health condition that can occur after experiencing a traumatic event. People who have this condition often experience symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, dissociation,flashbacks, and hypervigilance. The condition may also increase a person’s risk for problems with learning.

Such learning difficulties can contribute to issues in educational settings. However, learning difficulties can also affect memory and attention, which can lead to problems in many areas of your everyday life.

Learning Difficulties Associated With PTSD

PTSD can contribute to a number of different types of learning difficulties. Some of the areas that might be affected include:

Memory

Compared with people who don’t have it, people with PTSD tend to have problems with remembering:

Attention

PTSD can also contribute to problems withattention, making it difficult to concentrate on information. They may also have difficulty concentrating and be easily distracted, which makes it hard for them to pay attention when doing tasks. Difficulty concentrating is one of a number ofcommon symptoms of PTSD.

One study found that people with PTSD have problems with reading comprehension due to problems with attention and concentration.

Problem-Solving

It also is not uncommon for people with PTSD to experience difficulties when it comes to solving problems. Other symptoms of the condition, such as avoidance and attention difficulties, may contribute to these challenges. In one study, higher scores on measures of PTSD symptoms were linked to worse problems solving skills.

Executive Function

PTSD can also contribute to problems with executive functioning.Executive functionsare the mental skills (including self-control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) that are needed to plan, manage, and carry out everyday behaviors.

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Why PTSD Makes Learning Difficult

There are a number of reasons why people with PTSD may have these learning difficulties.

Anxiety and Depression

When you’re feeling very anxious, it caninterfere with the way your brain encodes informationinto your memory.That can make it harder for you to remember minor details.

High anxiety levels may also limit your ability to notice things that are going on around you or interfere with your ability to focus on a task. This can happen when you feel so anxious aboutbeinganxious that that becomes all or most of what you can think about.

Sleep Problems

People with PTSD often have difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep.If that sounds like you, and you’re less alert during the day as a result, you’re likely to be less able to remember things and focus your attention effectively.

Substance Use

Substance use is not uncommon among people who have PTSD.People may utilize substances as a way to cope with the distressing symptoms and memories of trauma. In addition to other risks associated with drug and alcohol use, taking substances can also contribute to problems with memory and attention.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of PTSD

Coping With Learning Problems

If you have PTSD and are having problems with your memory or ability to focus your attention, there are a number oftechniques that you can useto remember and focus better. You may also benefit from learning techniques for controlling your attention,such as mindfulness.

Seek PTSD Treatment

If you think you may have one or more learning difficulties in addition to PTSD, and you don’t yet have a healthcare provider who can work with you to set up a treatment plan, it may be time to look for one. If you’re not sure how to do this, ​there areseveral websitesthat offer free searches. Use them to help you locate mental health providers in your area who treat people with PTSD.

And here’s some good news: Your PTSDtherapy to reduce your symptomsmay also help with any learning difficulties you have.

It’s been shown that people who are successfully treated for their PTSD often find that other areas of their lives improve as well.

Practice Trauma-Informed Mindfulness

Mindfulnessis a practice that involves becoming more aware of internal thoughts and feelings while focusing attention on the present. It is often recommended as a strategy to improve attention and there are a number of mindfulness-based treatments that have shownpromise for helping symptoms of PTSD.

However, some research has found that mindfulness can actually worsen feelings of anxiety and cause distress for people who have experienced trauma. One 2019 study found that around a quarter of people who meditate have experienced adverse effects ranging from increased anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and dissociation.

Practicing trauma-informed mindfulness or working with atherapist who is trauma-sensitivemay be helpful. Trauma-informed mindfulness incorporates techniques such as anchoring, self-regulation, and grounding strategies that minimize the potential for increased anxiety and dissociation.

Train Your Memory

Memory-boosting strategies can also help combat some of the problems with learning, memory, and attention that are connected to PTSD. Such strategies that may help you combat problems with learning and improve your ability to recall information include:

Coping With PTSD

A Word From Verywell

PTSD can lead to problems with learning that can affect many different areas of your life. In addition to seeking professional treatment for your symptoms, finding ways to improve you memory may be helpful. If you are concerned about the symptoms you are experiencing, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. They can recommend treatments and self-help strategies that can improve your ability to function in your everyday life.

Frequently Asked QuestionsThe exact ways that trauma creates memory disturbances are not entirely understood, but a number of factors may play a part. Dissociation from trauma can create some memory problems.Stress hormones may also lead to different types of cognitive impairment. And trauma may also impact areas of the brain, including thehippocampus, that play a part in the formation of new memories.PTSD can cause hypervigilance, a type ofattentional biaswhere people pay excessive attention to cues in the environment that are perceived as threats. In addition to making it difficult to pay attention to other information, this hypervigilance also causes people to be preoccupied with reminders of the trauma, which plays a part in perpetuating the condition.Learn More:What Is Hypervigilance?Like PTSD, anxiety, and depression can also affect aspects of learning including working memory, motivation, and attention. Symptoms of anxiety and depression often occur at the same time as PTSD, which can have a significant detrimental impact on learning.

Frequently Asked Questions

The exact ways that trauma creates memory disturbances are not entirely understood, but a number of factors may play a part. Dissociation from trauma can create some memory problems.Stress hormones may also lead to different types of cognitive impairment. And trauma may also impact areas of the brain, including thehippocampus, that play a part in the formation of new memories.

PTSD can cause hypervigilance, a type ofattentional biaswhere people pay excessive attention to cues in the environment that are perceived as threats. In addition to making it difficult to pay attention to other information, this hypervigilance also causes people to be preoccupied with reminders of the trauma, which plays a part in perpetuating the condition.Learn More:What Is Hypervigilance?

PTSD can cause hypervigilance, a type ofattentional biaswhere people pay excessive attention to cues in the environment that are perceived as threats. In addition to making it difficult to pay attention to other information, this hypervigilance also causes people to be preoccupied with reminders of the trauma, which plays a part in perpetuating the condition.

Learn More:What Is Hypervigilance?

Like PTSD, anxiety, and depression can also affect aspects of learning including working memory, motivation, and attention. Symptoms of anxiety and depression often occur at the same time as PTSD, which can have a significant detrimental impact on learning.

16 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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Krause-Utz A, Frost R, Winter D, Elzinga BM.Dissociation and alterations in brain function and structure: Implications for borderline personality disorder.Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2017;19(1):6. doi:10.1007/s11920-017-0757-y

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