TRAUMA & ABUSE: POSTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), COMPLEX TRAUMA AND DEVELOPMENTAL TRAUMA DISORDER

PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA IS CAUSED WHEN ONE EXPERIENCES AN EVENT THAT :

  • POSESEXTREME THREAT TO THE PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY OF THEMSELVES OR OTHERS.
  • ELICITS INTENSE FEAR AND FEELINGS OF HELPLESSNESS .
  • OVERWHELMS ONE’S CAPACITY TO COPE, MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY .

Trauma may be caused by:

  • One-time events such as accidents, assaults and natural disasters.
  • Physical, psychological and sexual abuse.
  • Living in an environment that I physically and/emotionally unsafe. This can apply to adults but more commonly is the experience of children. *

*(For most, trauma began at home.)

In 2013, the Alberta Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE) revealed that:

Before the age of eighteen,27.2% of Albertans  had experienced some form of abuse, and 49.1% experienced family dysfunction.

The association between ACEs and poor mental and physical health remained strong throughout childhood and into adulthood, even when other risk factors, such as poverty, were taken into consideration.

HOW TRAUMA CAUSES PTSD: The Effects of Trauma on The Brain

Most of us know about  ‘fight or flight’. Usually, when faced with danger, our bodies release hormones and produces other changes that boost our ability to act.  

Trauma blocks this adaptive response. Instead, the body releases a flood of adrenalinand other neuro-chemicals. The neo-cortex, responsible for functions like judgment, decision making etc., essentially shuts down, taking along higher reasoning and language, and creatinga sense of helplessness, even paralysis.

Trauma also impactsbrain structures and how they function.  Changes in the amygdala, hippocampus, and pre-frontal lobeare responsible for the nature of traumatic memories, and the symptoms of PTSD and COMPLEX  PTSD

Trauma does not always lead to PTSD.   Thoughmost people have some symptoms following a traumatic event,these usually improve quite rapidly. For others, especially those who’ve had previous or repeated trauma,  symptoms are mor persistentand develop into PTSD. Seeking treatment early is the best way to get control of symptoms and reduce ‘collateral damage’ in other areas of your life.

SYMPTOMS OF PTSD fall into four general types:

Intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in physical and emotional reactions.

Symptoms of intrusive memories may include:

  • Recurring, distressing memories
  • Flashbacks
  • Dreams or nightmares
  • Severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the traumatic event

 

Symptoms of avoidance may include:

  • Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the event
  • Avoiding places, activities or people that remind you of the event

 

Symptoms of negative changes in thinking and mood may include:

  • Negativity about self, others, the world, feelings of hopelessness
  • Concentration and memory problems (including being unable to remember aspects of the trauma)
  • Feeling of detachment from family and friends, difficulty maintaining relationships
  • Lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed
  • Emotional numbness , difficulty experiencing positive emotions

 

Symptoms of changes in physical and emotional reactions (also called arousal symptoms) may include:

  • Alertness, on guard, easily startled
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Irritability and /or angry outbursts or aggressive behavior
  • Inappropriate feelings of guilt or shame

COMPLEX POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND DEVELOMENTAL TRAUMA DISORDER

Individuals with a history of trauma, most notably survivors of childhood abuse, domestic violence, and war, are likely to have experienced multiple traumatic events.  Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPSD) is the result of exposure multiple traumas.  It’s  symptoms includePTSD,   as well as  also disturbances in emotional and interpersonal self-regulation, anxiety, anger, dissociative and avoidant behaviors, anxious arousal, anger management, dissociative symptoms, and socially avoidant behaviors.

Developmental Trauma Disorder.   When children are exposed to repeated trauma or a chronic lack of emotional and physical safety in the caregiving environment, it affects their neurobiological development by impacting:

  • Maturation of specific brain structures and functions.
  • Regulation of physiological and neuro-endocrine response.
  • The ability to regulate and coordinate thought, emotion and behaviour.