Are You a Survivor of Acute Trauma?
Acute trauma is defined as an isolated event such as a one-time crime, a serious accident, a natural disaster, or an attack of some kind that happens one time. After the incident is over, you’re not repeatedly abused or traumatized again. However, the event has been so jarring and powerful for you that you have lasting effects.
Symptoms of Acute Trauma
The symptoms someone might have if they are a survivor of acute trauma include flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts and memories, and avoidance of reminders of the trauma. Further, you may experience problems remembering, feeling happy, or being connected to your body. The symptoms can be very distressing, especially if you don’t understand the reasons.
Possible Diagnoses
After acute trauma, if you are having trouble moving past it, you may be diagnosed with various anxiety-related disorders like acute stress disorder (ASD), agoraphobia, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Not everyone who experiences trauma will experience the worst manifestations of disorders, but most will have ADS for a brief time as they recover.
Risk Factors
The people who are most at risk for suffering effects of acute trauma are not always fair. Still, statistically, if you’re female, you’re more likely to experience a negative, life-changing, one-time traumatic event. This is made even more likely if you already have a history of trauma, mental health conditions, or the event is very severe.
How Your Acute Trauma is Diagnosed
You cannot self-diagnose this issue; you can know that you have experienced a trauma, but you really need a psychiatrist or counselor who can diagnose you to examine you mentally and physically before settling on a diagnosis. Self-diagnosis is not recommended because you may choose the wrong treatment.
Recommended Treatment
If you have experienced an acute trauma, it’s important to understand that you may need short-term treatment to avoid more prolonged problems associated with the trauma. While many people recover without any treatment getting effective treatment will lessen the long-term damage and help you learn coping skills for all areas of your life that will pay off for you.
There are various types of treatments you may need, below are a few of the common treatments that your health professional may explore with you, depending on your needs.
- Psychotherapy – This involves finding a licensed professional who has experience treating people who have experienced your form of trauma. For example, if you were in a car accident, you will want to go to someone with experience helping folks recover and drive again.
- Medication – Short-term medication can help lessen the effects of your thoughts and emotions on your brain’s recovery. Some people don’t want to take medications, and certainly, you can make that choice, but there is no harm in trying them if recommended by your doctor.
- Support Groups – Peer and therapist-run support groups can help people learn tools and gain support through camaraderie and friendship in a controlled environment.
- Self Care – Learning the advantages of real self-care, not the type of self-care advertised on social media but true self-care that covers all areas of your life and ensures you focus on sound decision making based on your personal morals, principles, and values instead of what the outside world tells you.
If you are a survivor of acute trauma and it’s affecting your daily life negatively, don’t hesitate to seek support from a professional and your peers but remember that you have the most power of all because you are the one who chooses to take care of yourself every single day.
By Team MITM LLC,
