Medical Trauma: What is it and What can you do about it?

Trauma in general is broad in its definition, referring to combat veterans or sexual abuse. However, one form of trauma that is often overlooked or minimized is medical trauma. Medical trauma is defined as emotional, physical, or cognitive stress from a medical experience. Some examples of medical trauma include critical illness, cancer, c-section birth, surgery gone wrong, chronic illness, and many more. This experience can be both traumatic for the patient and their family.

There are significant rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for individuals who have experienced medical trauma (e.g., cardiac arrest, anaphylaxis, birth). Some who may be at high risk of developing PTSD are those who have previously experienced trauma or those who are experiencing illness at a young age.

A wide variety of things can cause trauma. Each person responds to a potential “trauma” differently. Something that may be traumatic for you may not be traumatic for your friend, partner, neighbor, etc. Moreover, trauma may show up differently for each person; some may avoid medical appointments, emergency rooms, etc., because of a past traumatic experience. However, one thing remains clear: the more you put off addressing what you need to, the worse the outcomes could be.

Treatment

While PTSD takes time to develop, there are options to treat PTSD or even the functional impacts (i.e., how symptoms show up in your body, relationships, and at work) of a traumatic medical experience. Some effective treatments are psychodynamic therapy, interpersonal therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and exposure therapy.

One thing is evident: resources and a plan of action when integrating back into the community are immensely helpful. Support can come from friends, family, support groups, and therapy.

Often, the more support you have, the better you feel.