Trauma-Disorders

Trauma Disorders

Trauma disorders are mental illnesses caused by traumatic experiences or significant stress. Trauma or stress may come from abuse, witnessing or experiencing violence, being neglected as a child, being in a car accident, losing a loved one, and many other situations that vary by individual. Excessive and persistent reactions to trauma that cause impairment may be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder, or adjustment disorder. Treatment through trauma therapy, social support, and lifestyle changes can help an individual recover and restore function.

What Are Trauma Disorders?


Trauma disorders are mental disorders that include the experience of a traumatic or very stressful event. Not everyone who experiences a great deal of stress or trauma will develop a mental health condition, but for those who do, the cause can be traced directly to that situation as a causal factor. Trauma disorders must be treated or they can lead to serious complications ranging from problems at work to social isolation to depression and suicide.

Disorders related to trauma and stress were once classified as types of, or related to, anxiety disorders. That classification has changed, because although experiencing anxiety is common with trauma disorders, there may be other, more prominent emotional symptoms depending on the individual. Someone struggling with a trauma may experience depression, anger, aggression, or anhedonia more so than anxiety.

Trauma Disorders We Treat


At Bridges to Recovery, we offer residential treatment for the following types of trauma disorders and related conditions. Select the disorder of interest below to learn more about our approach to treatment:

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Triggered by a frightening and traumatic event, this condition causes nightmares and flashbacks, obsessive thoughts about the event, and a lot of fear and anxiety, which may lead to isolation, depression, substance use disorders, and suicidal behaviors.
  • Acute Stress Disorder (ASD). Similar to PTSD, but it occurs between three and 30 days after a traumatic experience. ASD does not always lead to PTSD, but it is a risk factor.
  • Childhood Trauma Disorders. A condition triggered by a dangerous or frightening event experienced during childhood that causing significant distress and behavioral changes, often lasting into adulthood.
  • Dissociative Disorders. Serious mental illnesses that are triggered by traumatic experiences and characterized by a feeling of detachment, memory loss, and changes in perceptions and sense of identity.
  • Adjustment Disorders. Characterized by an abnormal response to stress and failure to emotionally adjust and return to normal life and activities.

Facts and Statistics


Why some people are better able to cope with stress and trauma and can adjust on their own with time while others cannot is not well understood. However, it is known that trauma disorders are not uncommon.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Trauma Disorders


The symptoms of trauma and stress disorders that affect adults are similar. PTSD typically causes the most severe and longest-lasting symptoms, while ASD and adjustment disorders are less severe. Symptoms of PTSD can set in within a month of a traumatic event or may not appear for years later. They last longer than a month and cause significant impairment. PTSD symptoms are grouped into four clusters:

  • Intrusions: recurring and distressing memories, nightmares, flashbacks
  • Avoidance: avoiding situations or people that trigger memories of trauma, and avoiding talking about it
  • Negative thoughts or mood: negative thoughts about the world or oneself, hopelessness, lack of positive emotions, lack of interest in activities, emotional numbness, withdrawal from friends and family
  • Reactions: startling or scaring easily, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, self-destructive behaviors, being on guard, angry or aggressive outbursts

To be diagnosed with acute stress disorder, the trauma-related symptoms must last between three days and one month. If they persist longer it is not considered ASD but may be diagnosed as PTSD. Another difference between ASD and PTSD is that a diagnosis of PTSD must include at least one symptom from each cluster, while ASD may cause any combination of the symptoms:

  • Intrusive memories
  • Nightmares
  • Flashbacks
  • Intense reactions and distress in response to memories of the trauma
  • Lack of positive emotions
  • Forgetting aspects of the trauma
  • Feeling dissociated from one’s self or surroundings
  • Avoiding distressing memories
  • Avoiding external cues and reminders of trauma
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Hypervigilance
  • Startling easily
  • Irritability
  • Difficulty sleeping

To be diagnosed with an adjustment disorder a person must experience symptoms that are severe enough to impair one or more areas of life but that do not meet the criteria for other disorders. The symptoms go beyond what would be an expected reaction to stress or trauma and persist. Symptoms may include sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, feeling overwhelmed, loss of appetite, social withdrawal, avoiding responsibilities, crying a lot, and difficulty functioning normally.

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Causes and Risk Factors


The underlying cause of trauma and stress disorders is an experience or multiple experiences that are traumatic or extremely stressful. The exact event or experience can vary widely depending on the person. Not everyone will respond to trauma or stress in these ways, but there are certain risk factors that can make one person more susceptible than another.

For instance, more severe or multiple traumas can increase the risk of developing a disorder. Having a job that increases the likelihood of trauma, such as being in the military or working as a police officer, is also considered a risk factor. Other risk factors include the presence of other mental illnesses, lack of a good support system, having a family history of trauma disorders, and struggling with drugs or alcohol.

Co-Occurring Disorders


The experience of trauma and actually having a trauma disorder can both increase the risk that a person will have other mental health disorders. Many individuals with trauma may seek unhealthy ways to self-soothe. Mental illnesses that may precede or result from experiencing trauma can include anxiety disorders, depression, or substance use.

Treatment and Prognosis of Trauma Disorders


Trauma disorders do not get better without treatment, and they can cause significant and harmful complications if not treated. These may include depression, job loss, social dysfunction, and even suicide. Getting diagnosed and getting professional trauma therapy and treatment is important. With treatment, someone with a trauma disorder can recover, learn to process and cope with the traumatic memories, and begin to live a normal life again.

Treatment largely involves specialized, trauma-focused therapy, although medications for depression or anxiety may also help some patients. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often used to treat trauma disorders. This is a type of therapy that focuses on becoming more aware of triggers, negative emotions, and unhelpful responses, and learning to change them. CBT can also be specialized for trauma, helping patients to face and cope with the experience in more productive ways.

Exposure therapy is used specifically for traumatic disorders and involves helping patients face trauma and bad memories in a safe environment. Avoidance is a major feature for people suffering because of trauma, but facing the memories and learning to cope with them in positive and healthy ways can help the healing process. Another treatment, called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, combines eye movements with facing traumatic memories to help change them.

With an accurate diagnosis, professional treatment, support from loved ones, dedication to facing bad memories, and lifestyle changes, most people with trauma disorders can recover and have a good prognosis.

Why Choose Bridges to Recovery?


At Bridges to Recovery, we specialize in diagnosing and treating mental health issues such as trauma disorders and their co-occurring disorders. We provide compassionate and effective care in a serene residential setting so clients can focus on their treatment and recovery without the worries of external pressures and stressors.

  • Private residential accommodations. Exclusive residential homes with a maximum of six clients. A private alternative to a more traditional hospital environment.
  • World-class clinical staff. Expert clinical team provides individual therapy using proven evidence-based treatment modalities to treat complicated disorders.
  • Individualized treatment plans. Truly individualized treatment plans that offers profound healing and strategies for overcoming the toughest obstacles.
  • Health and wellness focused. Healthy, gourmet meals, and yoga, meditation, acupuncture, massage, and physical fitness classes.

Please contact us for more information about how Bridges to Recovery can help you or your loved one.