psycho
traumatology
Psychotraumatology
Psychotraumatology is the discipline of psychology that studies psychological trauma, from prevention to treatment, through research.
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In Portugal as in the world, throughout life most of the population has been exposed to at least one potential trauma.
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Serious accidents, natural disasters, physical or sexual assaults, suicide, war or a terrorist attack, as well as having a history of sexual, physical or psychological abuse in childhood, are some examples of events that can turn out to be traumatic.
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Faced with these events, people show stress reactions that are normal (e.g, shock, fear, guilt, avoidance, sleep problems). At this stage, Psychological First Aid can help.
Over time, for most of these people, reactions fade away.
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However, when reactions become symptoms, lasting for months or, especially, when they cause suffering and intrude into everyday life (at work or at home) it may be time to seek professional help.
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The most famous disorder in this field is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, PTSD is not the only diagnosis or clinical condition possible after trauma (e.g, substance abuse such as alcohol or drugs, depression, anxiety).
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The good news for people who have had traumatic experiences is that there are psychological treatments (therapies) that can help them. They are treatments that have proven to be effective, thus increasing the chances of success, so they are recommended as first-line options for psychological trauma (e.g, Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, EMDR).
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With weekly sessions, in a few months, these treatments can contribute to positive changes in traumatic symptoms and in people's quality of life. Scientific studies suggest that the results remain for years.