Mental Disorders Caused by Trauma

Whether we’re aware of it or not, trauma can have a lasting impact on our mental health. Long after a traumatic event has happened, its effects can still harm us in ways that we may not associate with the trauma itself. A number of mental health disorders can be directly attributed to trauma. 

Resolving someone’s trauma is often necessary to effectively treat the mental disorders that are linked to it. Let’s take a look at the mental disorders that are caused by trauma, as well as how they can be treated effectively. 

Lasting Effects of Trauma: 7 Types of Trauma Disorders

The long-term effects of trauma can express itself in many different ways. According to the DSM-V, a diagnostic tool used by mental health professionals, there are seven accepted mental disorders that are directly caused by trauma. 

Read our related article for more information on trauma and the impact it has on our lives.

1. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD can have a profound impact on the way that an individual views themselves and the world around them. Persistent and often irrational fears are common in those with PTSD, and they typically view the world as dangerous or threatening.

Read our full guide on PTSD symptoms, causes, and treatments.

Symptoms of PTSD

The common symptoms of PTSD include:

• Intrusive thoughts
• Flashbacks to experienced trauma
• Avoidance of scenarios that remind them of their trauma
• Negative mood changes
• Hypervigilance for potential threats
• Dissociative experiences like derealization and depersonalization

The symptoms of PTSD can occur anytime after the traumatic experience, and sometimes it can take years before someone with PTSD displays any symptoms.

Read our related article to discover how PTSD can be treated and if it can be cured.

2. Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

ASD can affect individuals similarly to PTSD, and the presence of ASD often indicates that someone will eventually develop PTSD. The main difference between the two disorders is how quickly someone experiences symptoms following a traumatic event. ASD can develop as soon as  three days after a traumatic event, where PTSD can only develop after 30 days.

Symptoms of ASD

The symptoms of ASD are the same as PTSD, including the same dissociative symptoms associated with PTSD. If someone experiences these symptoms for more than 30 days, they often get diagnosed with PTSD.

ASD is often the precursor to PTSD. Read our related article to discover how PTSD symptoms can be grouped into distinct clusters.

3. Second-Hand Trauma

Also known as secondary trauma and second-hand PTSD, this type of trauma can occur in someone that is repeatedly exposed to traumatized individuals. This type of trauma is commonly found in medical professionals that frequently treat trauma victims.

Symptoms of Second-Hand Trauma

Those that suffer from second-hand trauma will typically experience symptoms that originate from hearing the stories of the trauma victims. These symptoms can include:

• Intrusive thoughts about the traumatic event or story
• Avoidance behaviors of scenarios that remind them of the traumatic event or story
• Emotional outbursts
• Difficulty sleeping and concentrating

Compassion fatigue is also common in those with second-hand trauma. This type of fatigue causes an emotional burnout that is the result of displaying consistent compassion to the trauma victims. 

Compassion fatigue and second-hand trauma are more common for people in certain jobs, like first responders, teachers, and medical professionals. 

4. Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)

This disorder can form in young children and infants if their physical and emotional needs aren’t met. This can prevent them from forming healthy relationships with parents and caregivers.

Symptoms of Reactive Attachment Disorder

The common symptoms of reactive attachment disorder include:

• Withdrawal, fear, or irritability
• Sad appearance
• Doesn’t seek comfort or support
• No reactivity to comforting or nurturing acts
• Behavioral issues

Although these symptoms are commonly found in children under the age of five, it can have life long implications on how someone interacts with others and forms relationships. 

5. Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED)

This is another disorder that develops due to a lack of nurturing and emotional support during infancy. This disorder can cause someone to react oppositely from someone with RAD, and someone with DSED will look to strangers for nurturing and comforting acts. 

Symptoms of DSED

The common symptoms of DSED include:

• Lack of fear or shyness towards strangers
• Overly friendly behavior towards strangers
• Hugging and cuddling strangers

These symptoms may persist into teenage years, but they often go away as someone enters adulthood.

6. Adjustment Disorders

Adjustment disorders can cause someone to react negatively in extreme ways when presented with a change to their life. Although life changes can be stressful for everybody, people with adjustment disorders feel intense negative emotions that accompany this stress. 

Symptoms of Adjustment Disorders

Although this disorder affects people differently, the common symptoms of adjustment disorders include:

• Feeling sad or hopeless
• Feeling anxious or stressed out
• Crying often
• Avoiding important responsibilities, like attending school or going to work

Someone with an adjustment disorder will experience these symptoms when faced with a trying event or a stressful change to their daily routine. 

7. Unspecified Trauma and Stressor Disorders

This diagnosis is given to individuals that experience several symptoms of a trauma disorder, but they don’t quite fit the criteria for a full diagnosis. 

Symptoms of Unspecified Trauma and Stressor Disorder

People with an unspecified trauma and stressor disorder will suffer from many of the same symptoms that other trauma disorders do. Some of these symptoms include:

• Anxiety 
• Depression 
• Hypervigilance 
• Dissociation 
• Avoidance behaviors

Someone with this disorder can have a difficult time getting the treatment that they require because they lack the full diagnosis of a major trauma disorder. 

Additional Conditions and Disorders Caused by Trauma

Someone may suffer from other conditions that are linked to trauma, either as a comorbidity or independently from a major trauma disorder. The major conditions and disorders that are rooted in traumatic experiences include:

• Depression
• Anxiety 
• Dissociative identity disorder 
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Borderline Personality Disorder 

By treating trauma directly, someone can often experience relief from their trauma disorders and any other conditions or disorders that they may be suffering from. 

Find Relief From Trauma at Sequoia Behavioral Health

At Sequoia Behavioral Health, we understand that trauma is often the root of nearly every mental health condition. That’s why we direct our treatments towards resolving your trauma, so you can experience relief from your trauma symptoms and any mental health disorders that stem from it. 

Read our related article for more information on how trauma can be treated with therapy.

Effective Trauma Therapies

One of the most effective trauma therapies that we offer at Sequoia Behavioral Health is eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR is a proven trauma therapy technique that uses bilateral stimulation while someone addresses their traumatic experiences. This technique lessens the emotional impact that trauma has on an individual and helps them reprocess their traumatic experiences.

Another popular trauma treatment method is somatic experiencing. Somatic experiencing helps someone release the physical effects of trauma on the body. This technique connects the body to the mind, and helps someone recognize the physical and mental toll that trauma has on them. 

Read our related article to discover the differences between EMDR and somatic experiencing.

Sequoia Behavioral Health—Experts in Treating Trauma

If you or a loved one is suffering from the lasting effects of trauma, reach out to one of our mental health professionals. We can help you achieve relief from your trauma symptoms and the many mental health conditions that come with it.