Yes, it can happen to adults actually, only it is called exagerated startled response, which I happen to have.....sometimes it doesn't have to take something really bad to scare you, it's more or less your response to the stimuli.....look up exagerated startled response on google....hope I was helpful... Foo

Yeah, Wiki mentions it as well. It makes sense. Is just a reaction. If we're hypervigilant, than we are going to be prone to respond to more stimuli than the average person. Makes perfect sense. :)

and it sucks

Picture this...

I was walking with my two kids down the Christmas light aisle in Lowes and it was somewhat busy. Halfway down the aisle and man grabs one of the boxes from the shelf rather quickly as he's turning towards us, swinging it above everyone's head as he's moving through to go past us. Everyone else doesn't even notice it... to me, it "felt" like he was attacking us. My breath caught, eyes flew wide, heart skipped a couple of beats (I didn't scream though :) but my daughter said I looked like something just scared me to death. She said this because I had propelled myself between this "charging" man with his "weapon" box and my "helpless" kids... I thought "wow, it's a good thing I didn't go with what I really felt like doing and throw us to the floor" (I did not say this to her)... exagerated startle response.

I'm always on the "look out" so to speak and notice, as well as, respond to in some way a lot of the "stimuli" around me. Some times are more obvious than others. You definitely know it's there and if you have problems with startle response though.

I have a strong startle reflex. An example is when I was recently doing laundry and someone I knew came around the corner quickly and said "Hi". I just about went through the roof. I jumped and cried out loud. It shocked him, because he was just being friendly and I looked like I'd had a gun drawn on me. lol So, we both laughed it off. I was so embarrassed. Gah.

This is a common symptom of PTSD. Like Brilliante said, it is tied into our being hyper-vigilant. Sometimes, we're wound tighter than a wristwatch.

Walk up behind me quietly and you'll see what startle reflex is!

JMRH

Let me add another- wake me up the wrong way and you'll get a good example of it too! (As my poor wife has found out)

JMRH

i've had it for as long as i can remember...i've always been extremely jumpy. i'm like JMRH too...if you touch me at all when i'm asleep it's not pretty. i spaz out, and have been known to punch. fun times. :P

same here, it is hard to understand this for others, like my husband for example, to others they see immediately that there is no danger yet my body takes quite a bit longer often to realise that all is safe.

as solongago said above here "it sucks"

Here here to SoLongAgo's statement! :)

LOL!

JMRH - you're silly and funny and very on the mark! ;)

While on the topic, my wife has agreed to go to my next session with the doc, so he can tell her about things she doesn't understand.

JMRH

Oh, that's great! Oooh! Tell us what he says as he explains it! We can use it for the family info I am going to post to CarrotofHope.org!!! :)

I seem to have the ability to levitate when startled and often scream loudly. I am not particularily embarrassed about it as I do not think people should touch others without permission. I hate the palpitatins that follow this and have a hard time not lashing out. It seems to be male aquaintances who think that it is okay to grab your arm or shoulder from behind to attract your attention. I have found an uninhibited startle response with whirling, screaming and levitation does stop them repeating this!

All you have to do is come up behind me and speak in a normal calm voice to me and I will jump out of my skin and scream! Pathetic!

My family learned a long time ago not to come up behind me and try to "play scare" me. Not a good thing to do to me. I didn't realize there was a name to it though