Typical Long-Term Effects of Trauma

Typical long-term effects may include:

• Uncontrollable and repetitive nightmares and flashbacks
• Crippling inability to concentrate
• Intrusive thoughts or feelings of fear
• Chronic anxiety or hyper-arousal
• Being unable to stop thinking about what happened
• Avoiding places, people, or thoughts that are reminders of what happened
• Having a sense of a foreshortened future
• Continued difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Feeling jumpy or easily startled
• Being overly concerned about one’s safety
• Feeling guilty, worthless, or hopeless
• Not taking pleasure in activities one used to enjoy
• Having thoughts of death or suicide

Trauma is a unique phenomenon to which all people are vulnerable. It is caused by specific kinds of events. Although the reactions to trauma differ with each individual, they are predictable and treatable. They may occur with individuals who are directly involved in the event, who witness the event, or who hear of the event and have had past experiences of a similar nature (called triggering). The severity and intensity of each person’s reactions to the traumatic event will vary depending on the actual event, their personal beliefs and coping skills, their support system, and whether they receive treatment for dealing with their reactions.