Which is a common trauma symptom?

• A. Intrusive memories
• B. Sleep disturbance
• C. Hypervigilance
• D. Irritability

Answer: (C)

When someone has experienced trauma, the body's stress system often remains on high alert, leading to a state of persistent arousal and threat monitoring. Hypervigilance captures this ongoing readiness to detect danger: a person may constantly scan the environment, be easily startled, and struggle to relax because the sense that danger could be present at any moment hasn’t fully resolved. This enduring heightened alertness is a very common and characteristic trauma response, reflecting how the nervous system adapts after threat. Other symptoms like intrusive memories, sleep disturbances, and irritability are also seen after trauma and each reflects a different facet of the distress, but hypervigilance specifically highlights the persistent arousal and vigilance that many survivors experience.