Trauma and PTSD

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM5) is the standard for psychiatric diagnosis, which identifies a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), that can develop from a trauma. Trauma refers to the “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation". Such trauma may manifest in intense emotions.

There are different kinds of trauma; unique or repeated experiences, human-made or natural ones. After exposure to trauma, some people might be in a state to cope with the help of their family members or friends, or even with their own strengths and resources. But if individuals are not able to do this or when the experience of the trauma is intense, lengthy or has occurred repeatedly - the chances of developing PTSD for the traumatised individual is much higher. PTSD is diagnosed when the victims are experiencing the traumatic event in their minds over and over again, and when they are suffering the intensive emotions repeatedly.

Children have a particularly difficult time to cope with traumatic experiences due to their lack of life experience to react to certain situations. The human body tries to displace the experiences, but they settle in the subconscious. Therefore, traumatic experiences can lead to PTSD. To avoid this, it is necessary to give children a chance to express their feelings and to learn how to cope with the situation.