Knowing the risk factors can help patients find the right care and experience lasting healing. People who are diagnosed with acute trauma have likely experienced one traumatic event in their lifetime. This can include witnessing one violent event or experiencing a stressful situation, such as a car accident [1]. Traumatic events may cause debilitating symptoms that are short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic). Individuals who develop long-lasting, chronic symptoms may be diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A 2006 study found that temporary memory loss caused by a fall in blood pressure (syncope) is a more likely cause of nonalcoholic-induced blackouts.
Does Trauma Cause Memory Loss?
Chronic trauma can especially be found in children who have consistently witnessed violence in the home, were abused on more than one occasion or were mistreated as a child [1]. Although many people recover from blackouts, one episode can be fatal. THC, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana, may also increase blackouts when combined with alcohol. This seemingly aware state can make it difficult for other people to recognize if a person is in a blackout. Although this part of the brain can build up long-term tolerance to alcohol, this isn’t true of the hippocampus. The nature of blackouts makes it difficult for researchers to examine the correlation between memory recall and blackout type.
How can I find help for PTSD?
Information, counselling, and support are all important parts of the management alongside the use of appropriate anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drugs. Clinicians can only make informed decisions about drug choices if they are aware of the syndromic diagnosis. For example, some people may feel detached from the experience, as though they are observing things rather than experiencing them. A mental health professional who has experience helping people with PTSD, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker, can determine whether symptoms meet the criteria for PTSD.
Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)
For those who have experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime, they can experience lasting effects. These lasting effects can be categorized as a trauma-related disorder, including post-traumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder and reactive attachment disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can arise after you experience a traumatic event. There are many symptoms, including nightmares, flashbacks, and panic attacks, which can occur spontaneously or when something reminds you of the trauma. Trauma therapy is a branch of psychotherapy (talk therapy) designed to manage the impact of traumatic events on people’s lives.
- The National Center for PTSD estimates that 6% of the U.S. population will have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in their lifetime.
- Wanting to squash these not-so-great memories is human nature, but is it possible to intentionally forget a traumatic experience?
- Grist’s Kate Yoder wrote last week about new research led by a Harvard University historian showing that climate change was on the minds of members of Congress in 1970 as they drafted the Clean Air Act.
- For some people with trauma, mindfulness can trigger PTSD symptoms.
- If you experience a blackout by yourself, you probably will not be aware enough to control your actions in the moment.
- If you are experiencing these symptoms or any other worrisome symptoms, seek the advice of a health care provider.
How Trauma Therapy Works
If a person believes that they are experiencing psychogenic blackouts, a doctor may refer them to a neurologist, who may be able to diagnose psychogenic blackouts by ruling out other causes. According to the University of California, San trauma blackout Francisco, one particular type of epileptic seizure that causes blackouts is a tonic-clonic seizure — also known as a grand-mal seizure. During this epileptic episode, people lose consciousness, and the body goes stiff (tonic phase).
The Common Reactions to Trauma worksheet summarizes the common symptoms and reactions that many people experience after a trauma. The goal of this tool is to validate and normalize a range of reactions to trauma, which can have numerous benefits. Symptoms that may have seemed random and uncontrollable are now attached to a trauma, building hope that they may be treated.
- You can also explore your options with them and discuss if recalling details of the event is the best way to go, or if you’d rather focus on healing the emotional pain you may be experiencing.
- Next time you experience an episode, revisit what you were feeling and thinking just before the flashback or dissociation occurred.
- For those who have experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime, they can experience lasting effects.
- Psychotherapy is considered a first-line treatment for panic attacks resulting from traumatic events.
Each person’s experience may differ, and it’s crucial to seek professional medical advice for accurate diagnosis and tailored treatment. Experts estimate that about 50 percent of the population will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. When you consider that 90 percent of patients in public behavioral health care settings have experienced at least one trauma, trauma leaves a strong emotional mark. Acute stress disorder is most frequently diagnosed in someone who has experienced a recent traumatic event. One may be experiencing loss of sleep, anxiety, and emotional distress for a short amount of time.
Pre-existing Conditions
