
Trauma & PTSD
Do you need help with Trauma or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event / events.
Post Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a traumatic event - either experiencing it or witnessing it. It affects around 1 in 3 people and can develop immediately after the event or can occur weeks or even months and sometimes years afterwards.
What can cause Trauma and PTSD?
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Traumatic Events
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Military Combat
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Road Traffic Accidents
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Physical Assault
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Sexual assault
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Robbery, Mugging
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Being Held Hostage
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Terrorist Attack
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Natural Disaster
The Symptoms?
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Intrusive thoughts and memories
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Having flashbacks and reliving the distressing memories of traumatic event
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Severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the event ( eg a Newspaper report about a domestic abuse may remind a victim or a firework going off may remind a soldier of the event )
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Avoidance Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event Avoiding places, activities or people that remind you of the traumatic event
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Thinking and mood Changes
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Negative feelings about yourself or other people
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Feeling emotionally numb
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Lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed, hopelessness about the future
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Memory problems, including not remembering important aspects of the traumatic event
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Difficulty maintaining close relationships
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Changes in emotional reactions: Irritability, angry outbursts or aggressive behaviour
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Always being on "high alert" for danger and being easily startled or frightened
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Self-destructive behavior, such as drinking too much or driving too fast
Trouble concentrating or sleeping
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Feeling overwhelmed with guilt or shame