In everyday conversation, we talk about “trauma” and we use the term to describe any number of things that we find emotionally disturbing or that elicit a strong negative reaction from us. But in terms of mental health diagnosis, trauma is more narrowly defined as a person being exposed to death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence, in the following way(s):
- Direct exposure – it happened to them
- Witnessing the trauma – they saw it happen to someone else
- Learning that a relative or close friend was exposed to a trauma
- Indirect exposure to aversive details of a trauma, usually in the course of professional duties
Traumatic experiences are diverse – childhood abuse, sexual assault, the experience of warfare, intimate partner violence, life-threatening illness – just to name a few. A psychological trauma can also involve profound, life-changing loss, like the loss of a pregnancy or sudden loss of a loved one. When human beings experience this kind of life-altering trauma, they generally respond in a number of predictable ways. These responses can cause significant impairment in one’s work and life functioning. Yet, a person is not considered to have chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) unless these typical responses continue to manifest for longer than 6 months after the traumatic event. These typical responses to trauma include 4 categories of symptoms:
Re-experiencing symptoms:
Flashbacks – remembering the trauma as if reliving it
Nightmares
Intrusive thoughts – frightening, disturbing thoughts that can’t be put out-of-mind
Emotional distress and physical reactivity in response to reminders of the trauma
Avoidance symptoms:
Avoiding places, situations, and other things associated with the trauma
Avoiding thoughts or feelings related to the traumatic event
Arousal and reactivity symptoms:
Insomnia
Hyper-vigilance
Exaggerated startle response
Irritability and aggression
Risk-taking or destructive behavior
Difficulty concentrating
Cognition and mood symptoms:
Trouble remembering key features of the traumatic event
Overly negative thoughts about oneself or the world
Distorted feelings of guilt or blame
Difficulty feeling any positive emotion
Loss of interest in enjoyable activities
Feeling isolated
If you believe that you might have PTSD, please get in to see a mental health professional as soon as possible. The good news is that PTSD is treatable. Standard treatment for PTSD involves a combination of counseling and medication to alleviate the distressing symptoms. Most people respond well to treatment and there are many adjunct treatment options that can speed up the recovery process and improve one’s long-term outcome.
