Naslov
Normal and Pathological Reactions to Trauma

Autori
Moro, Ljiljana

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, stručni

Izvornik
Harvard Collaborative Training in Trauma-Related Menal Disorders for Primary Care psychiatry, Trauma and humanitarian Assistance in Croatia and Bosna and Herzegovina / Allden, Kathleen M. ; Lavelle, James ; Loga, Slobodan ; Mathias, W. - Boston (MA) : Harvard School of Pablic Health, Harvard University, 1998, 46-47

Skup
Harvard Collaborative Training in Trauma-Related Menal Disorders for Primary Care psychiatry, Trauma and humanitarian Assistance in Croatia and Bosna and HerzegovinaB

Mjesto i datum
Opatija, Hrvatska, 1998

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Normal and Pathological Reactions; Trauma

Sažetak
Case example of a man whose personality structure experienced destructin as a result of severe war trauma. He was disoriented, easily became lost; he felt abandoned by everyone. In his early life, his father died of suicide, but this was a family secret. he thought his father might have been a German spy, but he could never find this out. He grew up in a family with this secret, which distorted reality for him. Normal reaction to trauma involves the expression of emotions. It is normal to cry, to be angry; it is normal to be defensive, and even at times to deny that the trauma actually happened. When emotions are blocked, the person experiences pathological reactions, such as panic attacks or depression. Then there may be an attempt to self-treat the pathology with alcohol or drugs. It is important to undestand normal grieving reactions following traumatic events; between six months and two years are required for normal grieving. When a person close to us dies, it can take up to for ywars to feel normal again. And with the loss of a child, grieving can last eight years or more. It is normal to respond to "triggers", or things which remind one of the traumatic event; smells, sounds, similar-appearing persons can act as triggers. When the reaction is triggered, the person with normal reactions may reexperience the trauma, and then activate their defense mechanisms, and develop stronger coping mechanisms. But the pathological reaction to the trigger is to be overwhelmed once again by the traumatic experience; to retreat into isolation; to create disturbances in the family and the work environment. It is normal to work through the trauma grdually, accepting that it happened and learning how to cope. It is pathological to avoid any thoughts or reminders of the traumatic experience; to lose touch with reality; to feel extreme guilt of shame; or to attempt to encapsulate the traumatic experience and deny that it is an actual part of one's life experiences. The normal outcome of being traumatized is gradually to return to the present, to fight and struggle to find a solution in the posttraumatic environment. Pathological outcomes include attempts to escape through somatic symptoms (such as hypertension, destructive to the self and to one's relationships. Many people who experience trauma enter the acute stages of reaction to the trauma. But people who cannot negotiate the acute stage become chronically disabled by their reactions to trauma. A soldier who kills on the front lines is behaving normally, but when he smuggles a bomb into the hospital, he is behaving abnormally.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita

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