ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, + TRAUMA

A traumatic experience can have long-lasting effects

Distressing experiences can cause emotional and psychological trauma. The experience might be a terrible one-off event or an ongoing series of stressful events. Either way, the effect can be deeply harmful.

What is trauma?Emotional and psychological trauma can be caused by both one-off and ongoing events. A one-off event would be something like an accident, natural disaster, or an attack. On-going trauma can result from relentless stressful events, such as childhood sexual, emotional or physical abuse or living in a crime-ridden neighbourhood where you never feel safe.
Whether you are personally involved in or witness, a traumatic incident, have whānau or friends who are injured or killed, are a rescue worker, or even if you learn about the event through the news, you might experience some sort of emotional response. Responses can include:

• numbness
• changing emotions such as shock, denial, guilt or self-blame
• extreme sadness and crying
• mood changes such as irritability, anxiety, tension, negativity, gloom and disinterest
• difficulty concentrating
• repeating memories or bad dreams about the event
• distress when something reminds you of the event
• not socialising, staying away from people, strained personal relationships
• physical symptoms such as unexplained aches and pains, nausea, extreme tiredness or loss of energy
• changes in eating or sleeping
• increased use of alcohol or drugs.

Many of these feelings are a normal part of grieving and recovering from any trauma, but sometimes these feelings go on for a long time (more than a few weeks). They can begin to get in the way of your daily life, and may lead to depression or anxiety.