Almost everyone who experiences trauma will be emotionally affected, and there are many different ways in which people will respond. Most people may recover quickly with the help of family and friends. For some, the effects can be long-lasting.
Call Emergency Services on 000; or go to a hospital emergency department
The “types” of trauma below help us understand how different people may be affected by trauma. They are just some of the forms of trauma that people experience, and are not exhaustive.
Single incident trauma or “acute” trauma occurs when a person is exposed to one traumatic event, such as a car accident, an experience of loss, natural disaster, or physical or sexual assault.
Complex trauma occur during childhood or adulthood. It describes the experience of repeated traumatic events, such as abuse or neglect, or social trauma such as war or cultural dislocation.
Vicarious trauma occur when someone hears or is exposed to another person’s trauma. It commonly occurs in people who work in challenging environments, such as counsellors or paramedics
Intergenerational trauma is the experience of trauma that is passed down through the generations, from the survivors who directly experienced or witnessed the traumatic events.
Almost everyone who experiences trauma will be emotionally affected, and there are many different ways in which people will respond. Most people may recover quickly with the help of family and friends. For some, the effects can be long-lasting.
Traumatic experiences and triggers for an individual may include:
Many of the common immediate responses can include things like:
Common physical symptoms that people experiencing trauma often experience include:
Some examples of delays reactions include:
Many of the longer-term impacts of trauma can come in the form of specific mental health conditions but also practical problems that an impacted person may find themselves involved in. Between the two of these, they include the following conditions or phenomena, among others:
This type of trauma is passed down from the first generation of survivors who directly experienced or witnessed traumatic events to future generations. This is referred to as intergenerational trauma, and can be passed on through parenting practices, behavioural problems, violence, harmful substance use and mental health issues.
Psychologists are only beginning to properly understand how traumatic effects may be transmitted across generations. Studies have looked at various traumatic and cataclysmic events which have left an incredible scar on people across generations, including for instance:
Looking after yourself and getting support following a traumatic event is vital and what will work for you may not do another person. Below are some suggestions on how to cope with exposure to a traumatic event or to the different forms of trauma discussed above.
Acknowledge that you have been through a traumatic event and that having any physical or emotional reaction is not only normal but healthy and part of the healing process.
Connecting with others that you feel safe and supported by is crucial, even if hard. This includes talking to family, friends, a counsellor, religious leader or a crisis line or other such people who can help you better understand your experiences and find ways to recover.
Expressing your feelings as they arise is important. Discussing them with someone else writing them down in a diary often helps the healing process significantly.
Reaching out for professional, formal support from a health professional you trust is crucial. This may be your GP, psychologist, psychiatrist, counsellor or social worker. It often takes time to find the right person for you: those you can open up to and truly explore your reactions and feelings with. But it is important to persist because once people find the right professional, the difference made can be drastically positive.
Looking after yourself by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep critical. These activities give your body the chance to recuperate and recover. The physical component of healing is important, as the right physical circumstances help our brains create the right neural connections needed to teach us new habits and ways of being. Take time out to relax and do things you used to enjoy, even if you don’t feel like it.
Avoid the use of alcohol, drugs, prescription medication or other substances as a way of avoiding difficult thoughts and feelings. This can be a tempting short-term route, but can often only create more long-term pain. Instead, it is important to seek out professional help to create the roadmap to your own recovery and resilience.
Often-times, recovery from trauma does not look like a complete disappearance of the feelings and negative emotions that one experiences. Rather, it also includes resilience: the act of being able to withstand and deal with these emotions and feelings but without being overwhelmed by them.
Resilience comes with the right support and treatments in place, giving you the chance to come to terms with what has happened and develop the mechanisms to cope. It is critical, then, to seek out the professional avenues that help us chart the course to resilience.
The following e-mental health programs or resources have been researched, developed and tested in Australia:
Online resources for young people include:
CALD and migrant communities have diverse views of suicide and suicidal thinking, and vary in the way that their community, family and friends respond to suicide.
Often, a strong stigma surrounds the individual experiencing suicidal behaviours that may also affect their family, carer, friends and community.
Spiritual and religious beliefs can sometimes contribute to this stigma, as well as social understanding and attitude toward mental health and suicide within a particular cultural community.
Call Emergency Services on 000; or go to a hospital emergency department
If you are concerned that there is an imminent danger or risk:
While waiting for the person to receive treatment, remove any possible means of suicide from their immediate environment, such as medicines, knives or other sharp objects, and household chemicals, such as bleach.
Addressing the issue of suicide in CALD communities
We know that depression, anxiety and suicide can affect any of us at any time – regardless of our culture or background. We also know that a range of factors can make it harder for people in some communities to seek and access support.
Here are some crucial points to keep in mind when dealing with the issue of suicide in CALD communities and migrant individuals