It's no surprise that Katniss becomes traumatized—after all, the Hunger Games are the perfect breeding ground for PTSD. Severe, life-threatening, interpersonal violence as well as witnessing atrocities and killing enemies in combat are particular risk factors for the disorder.
While she manages to escape both Games with her life, she is left suffering significant psychological distress and displays symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
While Katniss did experience hearing loss after the explosion in THG, the Capitol fixed that after the games therefore, she didn't need to wear a hearing aid…but that's really one of the only instances where the movies didn't underrepresent the disabilities shown in the book.
In the end, Katniss and Gale grew apart, as many childhood friends and young loves do. She needed something different in her life, and with Gale's link to Primrose's death, Katniss found a reason to cut ties. If Katniss ever wanted to find comfort again, she knew she had to return to Peeta for the long term.
Katniss seems to meet the criteria for both PTSD and major depressive disorder. Believing herself to be “broken,” she has a hard time enjoying herself and is devastated and without hope, especially after the bombing of District 12.
Katniss Everdeen Is Dead | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
What is Katniss struggling with?
The recurring mention of a need for water, and Katniss' inability to find any, lets the reader know that this will continue to be a problem, and her growing thirst indicates that she needs to fix this problem quickly if she's going to survive much longer. Again we see Katniss struggling with her emotions about Peeta.
Katniss spends the rest of the day crying on her bed. She believes that the Gamemakers will punish her for what she's done, that they'll make her an Avox and cut out her tongue. She imagines all of the possible scenarios, but is most fearful that the Capitol people will go after Prim and her mother.
Although she will never know for sure, Katniss does recognize that she cannot be with Gale. She will never be able to forgive him for his idea — the parachute bombs — that killed Prim.
Gale is jealous of Peeta and the relationship he has with Katniss, and he wants Katniss to decide between them, though he doesn't press Katniss during her recovery in District 13. Gale is an excellent hunter and excels at setting snares and traps.
Later, the two learn President Snow considered their actions to be an act of rebellion against the Capitol. After their last interview, in which the two continue to affect their romantic feelings for one another, Peeta comes to the realization Katniss has staged her love for him all along.
Katniss rarely sings because it reminds her of her father, but she now remembers a morbid song that her father taught her: “The Hanging Tree.” This moment in the story is significant in multiple ways.
Katniss's focus on survival and her family's safety prevented her from fully considering romance, but her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged in the end. Katniss ultimately chose Peeta because he understood her trauma and she didn't want to lose him, proving her love for him.
People who suffer from PTSD can also experience trouble sleeping, which both Katniss and Peeta deal with, exhibit self-destructive or reckless behavior or can be aggressive and irritable. Both tributes also have trouble controlling themselves and often react aggressively to situations that upset them.
In fact, by our count, Katniss experiences over two dozen traumatic events throughout The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay—Part 1. That's a lot of trauma. Katniss' life is threatened multiple times in the Games—and unlike most combat veterans, Katniss knows the people she kills.
2. Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Wig Was Stolen! The natural blonde had to wear a brunette wig in the final two installments of the franchise due to hair damage after dying her tresses for the first two films. It turned out that one of her castmates was all about Katniss' wig, too.
When Katniss comes home to District 12, Gale immediately confesses his love for Katniss, and she realizes she might have feelings for him, too — but she can't explore them, because she has to continue her fake relationship with Peeta or else her entire family, including “cousin Gale,” will be killed.
The woods are now ruined. Katniss decides that the Capitol views her and Gale's weekly hunting trips — and the one time that Gale unexpectedly kissed her, which Snow knows about — as flaunting her defiance in front of the entire district.
These feelings undoubtedly strengthened their bond, enough for Katniss and Peeta's relationship to blossom and for them to build a life and family together. They love each other in their own way.
Gale does not marry anyone in The Hunger Games. He and Katniss talk about running away together and starting a new life in the wilderness, but they never officially marry.
It's only implied that they get it on via snuggling and other affectionate acts in close quarters — but if you have read the book, they really imply that they took their relationship to the next level.
Katniss has a conflicted relationship with her mother. Following her father's death, her mother fell into deep depression and now rarely speaks. As a result, Katniss has a difficult time feeling love and affection for her mother, even as she recognizes that her mother is a kind and intelligent woman.
Katniss comes close to crying, something she knows she mustn't do because it would indicate weakness to the other tributes and make her look vulnerable; thankfully, Haymitch distracts the crowd and the cameras by stumbling off stage.
