Trauma is the emotional response that a human displays when they have gone through a situation which is highly stressful or negative. This is the natural way in which the human body tries to cope and since most of the time those people are disconnected, numb or can have very upsetting memories, it can be very hard to deal with what has happened to them. Dealing with trauma is never easy, but with the right help it is possible to move past the traumatic period or event in their life and move on.
Most traumatic experiences tend to overwhelm the individuals involved and can make them feel overwhelmed or as if they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. There are very many causes of trauma, the trauma can be one-time event like the loss of a loved one, rape, a violent attack or an experience which is humiliating or excessively cruel. All these can make the person fall into a spiral of trauma, which can be very difficult to overcome.
The most common side effects that patients experience when trying to overcome trauma include:
Suicidal Thoughts
Many patients who are trying to recover from trauma find that they are having to deal with suicidal thoughts. This comes as a result of them feeling a high sense of hopelessness and they lose their desire to live. This is one of the major side effects that doctors and professionals will try to help the patient overcome. The reason for this is that if these thoughts are not checked then they can be actualized and the patient could actually commit suicide.
Drug Addiction
Another common side effect is that patients who have experience trauma at some point in their lives may turn to drugs as a coping mechanism – a type of self-medication if you like. The drugs are usually meant to help the body cope with emotional pain. However, due to the fact that these patients are already in emotional turmoil, they tend to take more drugs than is prescribed by doctors leading to drug abuse and drug dependency, which can further hamper their recovery. When diagnosing a patient, doctors need to focus on addiction and childhood trauma. This is the best way to get to the root of the problem and can help the patient more effectively. The drugs that are mostly abused are antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. This is because as much as they are prescription medication, they can be easily purchased over the counter
Alcoholism
People who have been in a traumatic event will often try to self-medicate. This is by looking for a substance, which will help them numb their feelings of hopelessness. Many people will mix alcohol with drugs as a way of helping to cope or block out the negative event in their life. This is one of the most destructive ways that a patient can engage in, because alcohol doesn’t solve the problem it simply leads to more problems down the line.
*collaborative post
