Psychological Trauma Learning Path

Definition and scope of psychological trauma

Psychological trauma (also called mental/psychiatric trauma, emotional damage, or psychotrauma) is an emotional response that occurs after severe distressing events, such as bodily injury, sexual violence, or threats to the life of the person or their loved ones. It can also result from indirect exposure—such as watching distressing news—when the exposure is extremely distressing, though not everyone who experiences such events develops trauma. The scope of psychological trauma includes both short-term and long-term effects. Short-term reactions may include shock and denial, while longer-term outcomes can involve intrusive memories and flashbacks, panic attacks, insomnia and nightmares, emotional dysregulation, difficulties in relationships, and conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and brief psychotic disorder. Trauma can also be associated with physical symptoms (e.g., migraines, nausea, hyperventilation), and people vary widely in their risk depending on factors such as resilience, coping resources, and the availability of support or treatment. Psychotraumatology is the study of psychological trauma, and the topic is further broadened by related concepts such as situational trauma, stress-related disorders, moral injury, and vicarious trauma.

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Signs and symptoms after traumatic events

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