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The word ‘trauma’ has become more frequent in society. It could be anything bad that happened at work that day, a failed breakup, a social interaction gone wrong, or a situation in life that hasn’t gone well. This is a good move when it involves mental health issues, but there have been concerns of ‘overuse’ of the word trauma and the dangers of overuse. It is important to be able to differentiate between psychological trauma and normal emotional distress, to allow for appropriate mental health discussion.
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Trauma does not necessarily mean pain, stress or discomfort. Psychological definition of trauma is: highly upsetting, overwhelming or threatening to the emotional or psychological health of an individual and has a long-lasting effect. These are often when the individual feels helpless, unsafe, or unable to “cope.” Can include physical and/or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, extreme neglect, domestic violence, natural disaster, serious accident, serious illness or death of someone close. Events can alter one’s self-perception, worldview, and perceptions of others.
But emotional stress is a natural phenomenon; it’s normal. We all experience feeling down at one time or another: sad, anxious, disappointed, frustrated, rejected or grieving. These emotions can be intense and upsetting, and are often a typical response to challenging situations. A poorly-performed exam, a break-up, criticism at work or disagreements with family members can cause emotional trauma. They may be tough and not necessarily traumatic experiences.
There is one reason for the increased usage of the word trauma: the increased social media and online discussion of mental health. These platforms have helped them let go of their emotions and get help when necessary. Educational campaigns about mental health have decreased the stigma and increased awareness of the importance of mental health. But the internet can also oversimplify complex psychological ideas. The definition of some words is perhaps used somewhat superficially in the clinical conversation, such as “trauma,” “triggered,” “gaslighting”, and “narcissist.”
Words used should be clear and not be used to minimise others’ emotional experiences. It is important not to underestimate emotional distress as a potentially serious matter. Their experiences, coping, and resiliency are unique. What is learned easily by one person may make a difference in learning for another. Thus, it’s always essential to recognise emotional distress and be empathetic.
This may be the level of the experience, the duration of the experience, or the duration of its effects. Trauma may lead to a chronic syndrome and affect functioning. Need to be alert, sleep problems, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, increased anxiety, emotional numbness, attention problems, relationship problems, trust problems, hypervigilance. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other disorders may also be a result of trauma. Emotional distress will likely be short-term and will decrease as an individual learns to respond to the emotions and to adapt to a situation and asks for help from a friend, family member or mental health professional.
This emotional suffering has resulted in the use of the word trauma, which is a means of communicating this hurt and to be understood. When all that’s uncomfortable and stressful is traumatic, then what is the definition of trauma? This can have a negative impact, and those with psychological trauma would be extremely distressed. Some intervention or care is needed.
Take a PollTake a PollSo all that really needs to be done is to transcend the evaluation of the extent of suffering, the comparison of suffering, rather than raising awareness of mental health. By using the appropriate language, they will be able to understand what has happened to them, communicate what they need and obtain the care and support they require.
Lastly, the healing of trauma and emotional wounding involves empathy, attention and healing. What we have to do is separate the two and have a more talkative, a more conscious approach to mental health, a more mental health aware approach, a more mental health culture approach and do not lessen the mental trauma.
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