What is trauma?
Psychological trauma refers to the mental health impacts of threats to a person’s wellbeing. Examples of events that may cause trauma include:
- Losing a loved one
- Experiencing violence
- Ending a long-term romantic relationship
- Getting injured or disabled
- Experiencing a severe illness
Trauma often results in feelings of sadness, fear, anxiety, or anger, and the mental health impacts of traumatic events can be immediate or ongoing. In some cases, these challenges may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which refers to ongoing stress and fear that occur months after experiencing a traumatic event. People may also develop substance abuse issues as they attempt to use drugs and alcohol to help manage the pain from trauma.
Individuals who experience trauma can use a variety of methods to cope with their symptoms. Self-help methods include spending time with friends and family and maintaining social connections. Talking with supportive people about your experiences and struggles can be a healing experience. Additionally, another self-help method is to maintain healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise routines. Taking care of basic physical health needs can help individuals maintain or improve their mental health. For people who need additional help managing their trauma, behavioral health treatment programs are available.
What are the signs and symptoms of trauma?
Trauma can result in a wide range of symptoms, including:
- Physical symptoms: Trauma may cause individuals to experience increased heart rates, heart palpitations, and sweating. These symptoms result from increased adrenaline output when the person recalls the traumatic event or feels threatened by the prospect of future trauma. Individuals may also experience headaches and stomach pain.
- Emotional and psychological symptoms: Trauma may result in people feeling intense sadness and anxiety. These symptoms are similar to symptoms of depression, and these individuals may avoid social interactions. In other cases, individuals may experience anger and resentment. People may also experience feelings of guilt.
Symptoms from trauma can be overwhelming, and many individuals who suffer from trauma do not know where to turn to for help. Unfortunately, these challenges can result in people turning to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate and mask their symptoms. This response can quickly lead to substance abuse issues and addiction.
In extreme cases, the impacts of trauma can lead to self-harm and suicide. People who have suicidal thoughts and need to speak with a behavioral health professional immediately can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255. If you or someone you know is ever in immediate danger of physical harm, call 911 for immediate assistance.
It is important to note that people who experience the same traumatic event may exhibit different symptoms, and some people may not exhibit any symptoms at all. Accordingly, people must be open and transparent about the personal impact of traumatic experiences. People can only get the help they need if they communicate their mental health challenges with others.
How our Tempe and Glendale, Arizona Aurora Behavioral can help manage psychological trauma
A traumatic experience can have a significant impact on a person’s mental health. Without proper treatment, the ongoing effects of trauma can take a toll on an individual’s social relationships, work performance, and physical health.
At Aurora Behavioral Health, our team provides mental health treatment programs for people who experience mental health challenges from traumatic events. Our treatment programs include inpatient services and outpatient services. Our inpatient programs provide 24/7 monitoring and medication management services for people who need around-the-clock attention from behavioral health professionals. Our outpatient services include intensive outpatient programs and partial hospitalization programs at our Tempe or Glendale, Arizona locations, and they allow patients to receive treatment for trauma-related conditions while maintaining their home routines.
Aurora also offers a specialized Outpatient Program, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which can significantly help those experiencing severe symptoms of trauma learn skills to better manage triggers in the moment, which can help a person feel more prepared to address their trauma in a therapeutic environment.
During treatment sessions, behavioral health professionals help each patient process their trauma. This process often includes helping patients cope with and understand the events that caused their trauma. Additionally, behavioral health specialists can help each patient improve how they respond to trauma-related symptoms. Our treatment programs also include supportive group therapy sessions.
Get treatment for psychological trauma at Aurora Behavioral Health
When people experience mental health challenges from trauma, it is often important to seek treatment as soon as possible. When mental health challenges remain untreated, they typically get worse over time and can lead to people developing new mental health conditions. Additionally, some individuals may turn to drug and alcohol abuse.
Getting started with treatment for psychological trauma is easy. Our team understands that each patient has unique challenges and needs, and we provide a customized treatment plan for each patient. We treat patients across Arizona at our Glendale or Tempe behavioral health hospitals.
The first step toward treatment is to contact our team. You can call us directly at 877.870.7012 at any time. A team member is available 24/7. Alternatively, you can contact us online, and we will reach out to you as soon as possible.
We can help answer any question you have about our psychological trauma treatment programs and our behavioral health hospitals. Additionally, a member of our team can help schedule you or a loved one for a free, confidential mental health assessment.
Resources
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/emotional-trauma-aftermath