Some events that occur outside of ordinary life and often unexpectedly cause feelings of terror, fear and helplessness. The effects of these events on the person are called psychological trauma. In general, it requires a personal encounter with threats to life or the person's physical integrity, or a close encounter with violence and death. The normal human response to danger consists of both mental and physical responses. In traumatic situations where the normal response loses its usefulness, these responses tend to persist even if the situation disappears. Psychological arousal can create lasting and profound changes in emotion, consciousness, and memory. In other words, traumatic events can disrupt the self-defense we normally use.
It is important for the individual and the society to determine in advance which psychological and physiological reactions are normal after a trauma, which are diseases, who will heal spontaneously, and who will remain sick for a long time. It is important. Although we say that trauma begins with human life, we see that the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder was first created by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 and began to appear in books. Traumatic events are divided into two: events created by nature and those caused by human hands.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that we can start to think about after the person shows the symptoms listed below at least one month after the traumatic experience.
- Facing recurrent, involuntary and involuntary distressing memories of traumatic events
- Making efforts to avoid recurrent distressing dreams whose content or affect is related to traumatic events >
- Dissociative reactions in which the person feels or acts as if the traumatic events are happening again
- Experiencing intense or prolonged psychological distress when faced with internal or external stimuli that symbolize or evoke the traumatic events
In addition to the symptoms listed above, another important feature of post-traumatic stress disorder is that the person shows clear avoidance behaviors. Avoidance behavior; internal or external perception of the person It is the behavioral or mental efforts that a person develops against a real threat in order not to face that threat again.
Avoidance behaviors in post-traumatic stress disorder occur in two ways:
- The person is traumatic. Efforts to avoid or stay away from distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings that are related to or closely related to the traumatic event or struggles to stay away from them
Distortions related to the traumatic event and self-perception may be observed in the cognitive world of post-traumatic people. Traumatic events disrupt normal behavioral systems that give people a sense of control, connection, and meaning. He may find himself in a constant state of alertness and irritability without knowing why. Perceptions may become erroneous, aggressive impulses may become incompatible with the current situation, and the person may not be able to control his anger. Overstimulation refers to the constant expectation of danger, intervention refers to the traumatic moment, and shrinkage refers to a numb response of abandonment. In overstimulation, the person is easily startled, reacts irritably to small events, and his sleep may be disturbed. If psychological traumas are not detected and treated early, additional psychiatric diseases may occur. Depressive mood may occur when the person's perception of trust deteriorates. He/she may resort to alcohol use to combat the symptoms caused by the trauma. In addition, psychological traumas are not at a level that would endanger an individual's physical integrity or make him/her close to death, but they may also be in the form of humiliating and rejecting behaviors and words that may cause the person to lose self-esteem. In this way, we see that some of the universal needs of people exposed to childhood traumas are not met. These are basic needs such as trust, stability and autonomy. It has been understood that individuals who are deprived of such needs in childhood have inadequate ways of coping with the traumas they are exposed to in adulthood.
How is Psychological Trauma Treated?
Pharmacotherapies are used in treatment. Although it is mentioned, we see that its place is limited. Cognitive behavioral therapy and EMDR therapy are the primary approaches in the treatment of psychological traumas.
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