What is psychological trauma?

Psychological or emotional trauma is when you have distressing thoughts and symptoms more than 2 weeks after a traumatic event.

A traumatic event is a situation that may cause a serious injury or threaten your physical or psychological health. It can impact your health and wellbeing.

This article is about psychological trauma in adults.

You can also read about kids and mental health and supporting kids through a natural disaster.

What are the symptoms of psychological trauma?

If you need to talk to someone about your mental health, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Symptoms of psychological trauma can be physical such as:

• fatigue (tiredness)
• poor sleep
• aches and pains

You might have intrusive thoughts about the event. Intrusive thoughts are unexpected thoughts or images that pop into your mind. They can cause you distress and anxiety. You may also experience:

• poor concentration and memory
• confusion
• depression or anxiety

You may also:

• avoid places related to the event
• feel unsafe
• have flashbacks

Other signs of emotional distress are:

• feeling overwhelmed or hopeless
• being tearful
• agitation
• worry and guilt
• fear and panic
• anger and irritation
• helplessness

Most people have symptoms, but they fade away after a few days or weeks.

The event may affect you any time from straight away to a long time later.

CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.

What causes psychological trauma?

Psychological trauma is caused by experiencing a traumatic event. Most people will experience one traumatic event in their life. Everyone reacts differently to these types of events.

Accidents

Serious accidents and injuries can leave you feeling traumatised. You can feel as if you keep re-living the experience long after the event.

Serious illness

Being diagnosed with a serious medical condition is upsetting. You will need time to adjust. You might have been told that you have a:

• terminal illness (an illness that can't be cured)
• life-threatening medical problem
• medical emergency that needed urgent surgery
• type of cancer
• chronic (long-term) illness

You might need support and counselling to work out what the diagnosis means to you and your family.

Family and other violence

If you are a survivor of domestic and family violence, you are more likely to have psychological trauma.

If you see a robbery or other serious crime, it may trigger a reaction in you.

Child abuse

If you experienced abuse as a child, it can continue to affect your feelings, thoughts and emotions. You might be more vulnerable to trauma as an adult.

Sexual assault

There are many forms of sexual assault. If this has happened to you, ask for help and support.

You can talk to a trusted friend or your doctor. Even if they can't help you, they can listen and help you find the right support.

Natural disasters

Living through a natural disaster can be stressful and may affect your mental health. Natural disasters are events such as:

• fires
• floods
• drought
• storms and cyclones
• earthquakes
• epidemics (outbreaks of an infectious disease)

Work-related events

Events that happen at work can also cause psychological trauma. You may have had a workplace accident and be unable to work or are worried about returning to work.

You might have a job where you need to help people during traumatic events such as:

• at the scene of a serious accident or fatality
• helping victims of a fire or flood
• counselling someone who has been abused
• reading victim impact statements

The stress of witnessing many traumatic events can add up and cause emotional distress. This is also called vicarious trauma.

Who can get psychological trauma?

Everyone reacts differently to traumatic events. You may be more likely to have symptoms of psychological trauma if you:

• had a mental health condition before the event
• lack social support from your family or community
• were abused as a child

When should I see my doctor?

See your doctor if your symptoms continue for more than 2 to 3 weeks.

You should get help if it's hard to do everyday activities, such as work, study and family life.

You can see a mental health professional such as a psychologist if the symptoms of trauma are very distressing.

Your doctor can give you a referral to a psychologist and organise a mental health treatment plan.

See Resources and support for other services that can help you.

FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

How is psychological trauma diagnosed?

Your doctor or psychologist will ask about your feelings. They will want to find out how your symptoms are affecting your life.

How is psychological trauma treated?

Different treatment will help different people. You may not need any medical treatment or you may need to get help from a mental health professional.

Self-care for emotional and psychological trauma

Be kind to yourself and give yourself permission to be upset for a while after the event. Try to focus on your most urgent needs one at a time.

Remember that problems do not usually last forever. If you feel hopeless, reach out for help from your friends, family or a support group.

Try to keep to your normal routine and eat regular meals. You can also try stress management and relaxation techniques.

Avoid turning to alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism, as they may make your symptoms worse.

If you need to talk to someone about your mental health, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Medicines for psychological trauma

Your doctor may recommend medicines, such as antidepressants. Medicines are usually used together with care from a psychologist.

Other treatment options

Psychotherapy can help you process the psychological trauma.

To find a psychologist, you can use the Australian Psychological Society's Find a Psychologist service or call them on 1800 333 497.

Ask your doctor to refer you to a mental health professional:

• counsellor
• psychologist
• psychiatrist (a doctor who specialises in mental health)

Talk to your doctor about getting a mental health plan, which can help to reduce the cost of mental health services you use.

What are the complications of psychological trauma?

If you have long lasting symptoms of psychological trauma, it can make it hard for you to:

• sleep
• study
• work
• have good relationships

A few people will develop more serious conditions such as:

• depression
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• anxiety disorders
• alcohol and drug misuse

Can psychological trauma be prevented?

Some events that lead to psychological trauma are unpredictable. You can't prevent natural disasters, but you can be prepared and make an emergency plan.

After a traumatic event, you can try to:

• get plenty of rest
• do regular exercise
• eat regular, healthy meals
• cut back on caffeine
• limit cigarettes and vapes

Try to do your normal routine as soon as you can. Make time to do one enjoyable activity each day. You may also want to try relaxation activities, such as meditation, yoga or breathing exercises.

Build resilience by reaching out to your community. Feeling that you are part of a community can help lower your chance of ongoing trauma after a stressful event.

Resources and support

Mental health

Find out if there is a Medicare Mental Health Centre near you for free mental health support. There are centres in each state and territory. You can also call Medicare Mental Health on 1800 595 212 for advice and to connect to local mental health services.

To help someone who is in distress, watch this 2-minute video from RUOK.

For information about depression and anxiety, visit Beyond Blue or Understanding Anxiety.

Living with psychological trauma

If you need advice, support or counselling, visit the:

• Beyond Blue website or call on 1300 22 4636
• Kids Helpline website if you are aged 5 to 25 years or call on 1800 55 1800
• ReachOut website if you are a young person

For advice about:

• family violence, call 1800Respect (1800 737 732)
• relationship counselling, visit the Relationships Australia website

Natural disasters

• Australian Red Cross has information on preparing for and recovering from a natural disaster.
• To find out if government financial support is available to you after a natural disaster, visit Services Australia.
• Support is also available from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care if you are impacted by flooding and storm events.

Work related trauma

SafeWork Australia has tips that can help you if you experience a traumatic event at work.

Languages other than English

Phoenix Australia has resources in Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese to help you understand trauma.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Visit 13YARN for fact sheets on mental health and wellbeing. You can call the crisis support line on 13 92 76.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.