Secondary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

About Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Trauma is defined as an event that is outside of the usual range of the human experience; one that would be considered intensely distressing to a large group of individuals. Examples of a distressing event are:

• A serious threat to life or physical injury.
• A serious threat to one’s children, spouse or close relatives.
• Sudden destruction to one’s home or community.
• Witnessing the physical harm or death of another.

Post traumatic stress disorder is frequently found in individuals who have experienced violent traumas, such as a car accident, natural disaster, or military combat.

The Characteristics of Trauma

Post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, often manifests itself in the following ways:

• Visualization: In the individual’s mind’s eye, the traumatic event repeatedly plays itself out. This is more commonly known as "flashbacks".
• Reenactment: Unconsciously, the individual may seek to play out the traumatic events in their closest relationships. As difficult as it may be to understand, this is done to establish the control lost during the traumatic incident.
• Fear: Fear can be found through a lack of intimacy or extreme reactions to situations that would not normally cause such fear.
• Sense of hopelessness: The individual doesn’t even try to imagine a future for their life.

Understanding Secondary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Secondary post traumatic stress is based on the concept that those who care for or interact with individuals who suffer from PTSD can also become traumatized. This type of trauma can be seen in:

• The wives of veterans. These women often suffer from increased psychiatric symptoms, such as somatic conditions and loneliness.
• Children: Research shows that non-traumatized children can display secondary post traumatic characteristics when they play with traumatized children.
• Children of veterans: Even if they were not born during the traumatic event, children of veterans often exhibit low self-esteem, hyperactivity and aggressive behavior. They also may have problems coping with the feelings of fear, anger, guilt and mistrust.

Accidents can affect many people.

• Caregivers: Individuals who care for those with PTSD can themselves become traumatized by the strain of providing adequate care, particularly around the clock caregivers.

Secondary post traumatic stress disorders may also effect hose we may not readily think about, such as therapists, social workers, EMT workers, and those who work in law enforcement positions. With these types of workers, common relationship patterns may include:

• Exploiter and the exploited
• Allies versus enemies
• Aggressor and the victim
• Rescuer and the victim

Symptoms

The symptoms associated with secondary post traumatic stress include:

• Losing faith: These individuals may begin questioning their religious beliefs, which up until the traumatic event were strong.
• Vulnerability: A heighted sense of vulnerability, cynicism, or distrust may arise.
• Feelings of guilt and/or grief: Overwhelming feelings guilt or grief is often experienced as well, especially if the person may perceive that they could have prevented the traumatic event.

Finding Help

If you or someone you love is suffering from secondary post traumatic stress disorder, the next important step is finding help. While it may feel scary to reach out and openly express what you are feeling or what you may have gone through, finding someone to connect with is one of the primary steps towards healing. Not taking this step can mean living with fear or guilt for the rest of your life.

Once you’ve made the commitment to seek help, don’t be daunted in your search. At FindaPsychologist.org, an entire page is dedicated to helping those in need discover the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist. They also answer many questions, such as "How do I find a qualified psychologist?"

This type of information is invaluable because it can clear up many of the misconceptions about finding and seeing a trained professional. Getting help for yourself, or for someone you love, is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Start slow, investigate, and then connect. It’s one of the best things you can do to walk firmly into your future.