MHAGH: May is Mental Health Month From Staff Reports Houston Community Newspapers
When bad or traumatic things happen, it can take time to get over the pain or to feel safe again. This May, during Mental Health Month, Mental Health America of Greater Houston is raising awareness about trauma, the devastating impact it can have on a person’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being, and how treatment can lessen the negative effects and create positive changes in people’s lives.
“When most people think of ‘trauma’ they often think of physical trauma like that associated with a car accident or an assault,” said Susan Fordice, president and CEO of Mental Health America of Greater Houston. “But trauma is any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and alone, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm.”
A traumatic event— an event which threatens our lives, our safety or our personal integrity—can affect us deeply. Some common examples of trauma include:
• The sudden death of someone close• The breakup of a significant relationship• The loss of a parent through divorce or abandonment• A humiliating or deeply disappointing experience• Falls or sports injuries• Surgery (especially in the first 3 years of life)• The discovery of a life-threatening illness or disabling condition• Serving in combat or experiencing war, terrorism, or living under oppressive political regimes• Physical, emotional and sexual abuse; emotional and physical neglect• Bullying• Surviving hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and auto crashes• Racism, sexism, poverty, humiliation and cultural dislocation• Living with a parent who’s been battered, an alcoholic, addicted to drugs or diagnosed with mental illness
Researchers have learned how trauma changes the brain and alters behavior. Studies show that people are more likely to be traumatized by a new situation if they’ve been traumatized before – especially if the earlier trauma occurred in childhood. The effect of trauma on productive life years lost exceeds that of any other disease.
While many people who experience a traumatic event are able to move on with their lives without lasting negative effects, others may have more difficulty managing their responses to trauma.
According to Fordice, “when children or adults respond to trauma with fear, horror or helplessness, the stress is toxic to their brains and bodies, and can overwhelm their ability to cope.”
Unresolved trauma can manifest in many ways, including anxiety disorders, panic attacks, intrusive memories (flashbacks), obsessive-compulsive behaviors, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, addictions, self-injury and a variety of physical symptoms. Trauma increases health-risk behaviors such as overeating, smoking, drinking and risky sex. Unaddressed trauma can significantly increase the risk of mental and substance use disorders, suicide, chronic illnesses, and even premature death.
“Working through trauma can be scary, painful, and potentially re-traumatizing, but with time and therapy it can potentially change the way a person lives and copes with things in their life,” said Fordice. “Give yourself time to heal, be patient with the pace of recovery and allow yourself to feel whatever you’re feeling without judgment or guilt.”
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