The human mind wasn’t meant to deal with certain stressors. Everyone experiences difficulties in their lives, but at a certain point, trauma disorders become an expected outcome. These conditions can affect people in a variety of ways, but in every case, they cause significant impairment to a person’s life. Fortunately, treatment is available.
Transformations at Mending Fences offers a residential mental health and substance abuse facility that strives to help those with trauma disorders. Regardless of the underlying mental injury, co-occurring disorders, or previous failed attempts at treatment, our certified staff of professionals can customize a plan that fits each clients’ individual needs.
Review the following information to learn more about these conditions, but then reach out to us immediately to start the path to recovery.
When someone experiences a traumatic event, repeated trauma or extremely stressful situations, it’s not uncommon to develop a trauma disorder. This is a category of mental health conditions that include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other conditions. We often see these in victims of assault, terrorist attacks, car accidents, natural disasters and war.
Mental health disorders stemming from trauma also occur due to long-term abuse, childhood neglect or even witnessing certain events with no actual involvement. In all cases, trauma is subjective. Something that may seriously affect one person could have little effect on another. When it comes to trauma disorders, direct comparisons of traumatic events serve no purpose.
Nearly half of individuals will experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetimes. Many of these people move on and recover over time. For those who have persistent symptoms that interfere with their life, though, treatment is an absolute necessity. In order to properly approach these conditions, though, it’s important to understand their differences.
People mentally deal with traumatic experiences in a variety of ways, so it’s no surprise that several types of trauma disorders are recognized. The severity, underlying causes and symptoms can vary for each of these. If you recognize any of these conditions in yourself or a loved one, it may be time to seek help.
Posttraumatic stress disorder is one of the most devastating conditions stemming from trauma. It can involve vivid nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of normal situations and unwarranted fear. PTSD is particularly prevalent in veterans, but around 10 percent of the public will develop this disorder in their lifetimes.
Symptoms similar to PTSD that only last about a month fall under acute stress disorder. It’s possible for this condition to develop into posttraumatic stress disorder, but early treatment can minimize this risk. Up to 20 percent of those who experience trauma will develop this mental health issue.
Children can go through traumatic experiences as well, and when this happens, they could develop an adjustment disorder. This often presents with behavioral issues, nervousness and depression.
Reactive attachment disorder can develop in children who don’t develop healthy attachments to their caregivers. Their needs simply aren’t being met, and this can lead to antisocial and other problematic behaviors.
This is a less severe form of reactive attachment disorder. Such childhood trauma can lead to negative effects that last well into adulthood.
Trauma doesn’t fit into a neat and tidy box. If someone is experiencing symptoms linked to trauma that don’t fall into any other category, they have an unspecified disorder. This doesn’t make the condition any less severe, though, so seeking treatment is still imperative.
Regardless of the specific condition, the importance of treating trauma disorders should not be minimized or overlooked. Early therapies have proven particularly effective in preventing long-term issues. One need only look at the suicide rates among PTSD sufferers, though, to understand the seriousness. One study found a rate 13 times higher than those without PTSD.
Transformations at Mending Fences offers a variety of treatment options for disorders linked to trauma. Research has shown that a combination of therapies often works best, so we ensure there’s something available to meet every client’s needs.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for clients of Transformations at Mending Fences. No one who goes through trauma experiences it in the same way, so it only makes sense that the same treatment plan wouldn’t work for everyone. We sit down with each of our clients in order to customize an individualized plan that holds the best promise for them.
Everyone deserves a chance to overcome trauma, and we’re here to help in that process.
Far too many people feel hesitant to seek treatment after a traumatic experience. With trauma disorders, there is no shame in reaching out for help. A large percentage of people will experience the most severe of these disorders in their lifetimes, so no one should feel as if they’re weak for choosing treatment. This simple decision can help you take your life back.
Transformations at Mending Fences commits itself to helping our clients return to a sense of normalcy. Traumatic events can cause serious issues with mental health, but with the treatment options available, it’s unnecessary for anyone to deal with trauma disorders on their own. Contact us today to learn how our individualized treatment plans can help you recover.
Sources
Medical News Today
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/trauma
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/trauma-and-stressor-related-disorders-children
PTSD Research Quarterly
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/publications/rq_docs/V28N4.pdf
American Psychological Association
https://www.apa.org/advocacy/interpersonal-violence/women-trauma
The American Institute of Stress
https://www.stress.org/acute-stress-disorder
Dr. Amiel is a psychiatrist in Gainesville, FL, and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area… Read More
