What is Trauma?

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), trauma is “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster.”

However, a person may experience trauma as a response to any event they find physically or emotionally threatening or harmful.

A traumatized person can feel a range of emotions both immediately after the event and in the long term. They may feel overwhelmed, helpless, shocked, or have difficulty processing their experiences. Trauma can also cause physical symptoms.

Trauma can have long-term effects on the person’s well-being. If symptoms persist and do not decrease in severity, it can indicate that the trauma has developed into a mental health disorder called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Types

Symptoms

The symptoms of trauma range from mild to severe. Many factors determine how a traumatic event affects a person, including

• their characteristics
• the presence of other mental health conditions
• previous exposure to traumatic events
• the type and characteristics of the event or events
• their background and approach to handling emotions

How can you manage traumatic stress?

There are several ways to help restore your emotional stability after a traumatic event:

• Notice if you feel a pull to avoid things in your life and try to stay engaged in routines like work and social life
• Spend time with others to avoid becoming withdrawn, even if you do not feel up to it.
• Pursue hobbies or other interests.
• Communicate the experience with family or close friends or in a diary or online journal.
• Give yourself time and recognize that you can’t control everything.
• Ask for support from people who care about you or attend a local or online support group for people who have had a similar experience.
• Find a support group led by a trained professional who can facilitate discussions.
• Try to eat a well-balanced diet, exercise, get adequate rest, and avoid alcohol and drugs.
• If you believe you have symptoms of substance use disorder, talk with a healthcare professional who can help you create a treatment plan and connect you with supportive resources.
• Maintain a daily routine with structured activities.
• Avoid major life decisions, such as changing careers or moving, soon after the event.

Symptoms

Suicide warning signs or suicidal thoughts include:

• Talking about suicide — for example, making statements such as “I’m going to kill myself,” “I wish I were dead” or “I wish I hadn’t been born”
• Getting the means to take your own life, such as buying a gun or stockpiling pills
• Withdrawing from social contact and wanting to be left alone
• Having mood swings, such as being emotionally high one day and deeply discouraged the next
• Being preoccupied with death, dying or violence
• Feeling trapped or hopeless about a situation
• Increasing use of alcohol or drugs
• Changing normal routine, including eating or sleeping patterns
• Doing risky or self-destructive things, such as using drugs or driving recklessly
• Giving away belongings or getting affairs in order when there’s no other logical explanation for doing this
• Saying goodbye to people as if they won’t be seen again
• Developing personality changes or being severely anxious or agitated, particularly when experiencing some of the warning signs listed above

Warning signs aren’t always obvious, and they may vary from person to person. Some people make their intentions clear, while others keep suicidal thoughts and feelings secret.

Causes

Suicidal thoughts have many causes. Most often, suicidal thoughts are the result of feeling like you can’t cope when you’re faced with what seems to be an overwhelming life situation. If you don’t have hope for the future, you may mistakenly think suicide is a solution. You may experience a sort of tunnel vision, where in the middle of a crisis you believe suicide is the only way out.

There also may be a genetic link to suicide. People who complete suicide or who have suicidal thoughts or behavior are more likely to have a family history of suicide.

Risk factors

Although attempted suicide is more frequent for women, men are more likely than women to complete suicide because they typically use more-lethal methods, such as a firearm.

You may be at risk of suicide if you:

• Attempted suicide before
• Feel hopeless, worthless, agitated, socially isolated or lonely
• Experience a stressful life event, such as the loss of a loved one, military service, a breakup, or financial or legal problems
• Have a substance abuse problem — alcohol and drug abuse can worsen thoughts of suicide and make you feel reckless or impulsive enough to act on your thoughts
• Have suicidal thoughts and have access to firearms in your home
• Have an underlying psychiatric disorder, such as major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or bipolar disorder
• Have a family history of mental disorders, substance abuse, suicide, or violence, including physical or sexual abuse
• Have a medical condition that can be linked to depression and suicidal thinking, such as chronic disease, chronic pain or terminal illness
• Are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender with an unsupportive family or in a hostile environment

Tips

• Get through the next five minutes
• Remove anything you could use to harm yourself
• Follow your safety plan or crisis plan
• Tell someone how you’re feeling
• Try self-harm coping techniques
• If you’re thinking of harming yourself, you could try using self-harm coping techniques. For example, you could: hold an ice cube in your hand until it melts and focus on how cold it feels, tear something up into hundreds of pieces, take a very cold shower or bath.
• Focus on your senses
• Steady your breathing
• Look after your needs
• Go outside
• Contact a helpline
• Use online peer support