Psychological trauma
An emotional response to severe distressing events, studied in psychotraumatology.
Psychological trauma (also known as mental trauma, psychiatric trauma, emotional damage, or psychotrauma) is an emotional response caused by severe distressing events, such as bodily injury, sexual violence, or other threats to the life of the subject or their loved ones. It is studied within the field of psychotraumatology, and its effects can include short-term reactions like psychological shock and denial, as well as long-term conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), flashbacks, and emotional dysregulation.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Neurology
- neuropsychiatry
- psychiatry
- psychology
- social work
- Treatment
- Therapy
- Medication
- Antidepressants
- antipsychotics
- antiemetics
- anticonvulsants
- benzodiazepines
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Psychological trauma can result from direct exposure to events such as bodily injury, sexual violence, or threats to life, as well as indirect exposure like watching television news, though such indirect exposure does not always produce trauma. Examples of distressing events include violence, sexual assault, childhood abuse, death of a loved one, and mass casualty events like terrorist attacks or natural disasters. Most people who experience a potentially traumatic event do not become psychologically traumatized, though they may suffer distress; some develop PTSD, with risk discrepancy attributed to protective factors like resilience and willingness to seek help.
Did You Know?
- A benign stimulus can become a trauma trigger through a process called traumatic coupling.
- Climate change is recognized as a source of trauma, as individuals contemplate future events and experience related disasters.
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