How does trauma affect health?

How does trauma affect health?

Trauma can cause physical injuries such as a broken leg following an accident or a burn after an explosion. Such incidents can also produce a deep effect on a person’s mental health. Even people

who only saw what happened (such as someone walking down a street and seeing a terrible accident) can experience these mental health effects. Many people affected by trauma will experience emotional reactions. These can include a feeling of being numb or in a daze, fear, sleep difficulties, repeated thoughts of the event, irritability, nightmares and having difficulty concentrating. This is a normal response to a traumatic incident and lasts for a short period (typically two to four weeks). In a few people, however, these experiences continue for months or even years after the trauma. They begin to interfere with the person’s daily life and may lead to new problems, such as alcohol misuse or problems in relationships with other people. This is a mental illness called post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD).