Ane: “Sexual abuse by my brother left a mark on my life”

Trauma led to chronic stress, anxiety and depressionuntil a recent diagnosis is made Bipolar disorder. “As a teenager, she realized something was wrong and it got worse as she became a mother,” she explained. During this process, “I experienced a lot of pain, uncertainty, dissatisfaction, frustration, anger, dissatisfaction and self-denial, including substance abuse,” he admitted.

Ane’s life got worse when she arrived in adolescence. “I didn’t feel like socializing; “My self-esteem and feelings were low, I felt abandoned and in a situation of lack of protection, where no one listened to me,” she explained.

Ane (not her real name) suffered trauma that led to chronic stress, anxiety and depression, leading to her recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder. NG

AND his mother Did he really not understand what was happening to him? “Yes, but looked the other way; We never talked about this. Lack of support from my mother caused me the wound of abandonment. I felt like he had betrayed me. I walked away from friends and people who loved me and then I realized that all this happened because of the abuse I suffered as a child. To hide my situation I developed a split personality“, he said.

When he decided seek professional help, because she felt at war with the world and with herself, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, what is being treated. This was a year and a half ago. It was the right decision because although he always had the desire to live, there was not a day when the thought of suicide did not cross his mind.

Thus, going therapy for three months at the Hospital del Mar (Barcelona), “he structured his wounds” and underwent group cognitive behavioral therapy. He is also being treated by psychotherapy, desensitization and reprocessing of eye movements (EMDR, English acronym).

Has he forgiven his brother and mother? “Yeah; because I want to live in peace” But Anya’s scar never fully heals.

From Trauma to Depression

70% of the world’s population has experienced a traumatic experience all my life, but not everyone is somatized or psychologizedacknowledge experts who say that when depression is associated with trauma, it manifests itself with more complex symptoms, tendency to chronicity and increased risk of suicide.

Without paying attention to our surroundings, we can easily realize that many of the people around us have experienced some kind of traumatic experience in their lives: the unexpected death of a loved one, a serious accident, a serious illness or injury, witnessing death…

And inevitably Traumatic experiences are accompanied by psychological effects with multiple symptoms.. First, images, thoughts and memories associated with the trauma that arise suddenly. impact on psychological health; but also symptoms such as avoidance of people, places or objects that remind us of the trauma; and in many cases the symptoms change in behavior, state of anger, rage, guilt and overreaction to trivial events.

This is what psychologists and psychiatrists call Post-traumatic stress disorder-PTSD, which affects 3% of the population, of whom nearly a quarter have severe symptoms. This is data that was identified in XXII Lundbeck Seminar Trauma and Depression: The (In)Visible Woundin which they reviewed psychological trauma, its relationship with mental health disorders, its treatment and approach.

Doctors Guillermo Laera, Alicia Valiente and Maria Frenzi Rabito. NG

Trauma is believed to occur when “a person experiences events or circumstances that are physically or emotionally harmful or life-threateningand which have a long-term adverse impact on their mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual functioning and well-being,” it explained Dr. Alicia Valiente, psychiatrist and coordinator of the research department of the Forum Center of the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona.

“He post-traumatic stress disorderthe most common and well-known trauma-related disorder It is characterized by symptoms that overlap with those present in depressive disorder.. There is growing evidence that exposure to traumatic situations, especially in childhood, increases the risk of developing a mental disorder such as depression by three times,” said Dr. Valiente.

In addition, in many cases, those people who seek help from psychiatrists have encountered traumatic experiences are not treated properlywhich caused emotional discomfort that persisted for a long time, which contributed to the development of depressive disorder.

Women

“Although men are more susceptible to traumatic experiences, women are twice as likely to develop PTSD.”especially associated with sexual violence, which leads to the development of psychopathologies,” says Dr. Guillermo Laera, Head of the Department of Psychiatry Prince of Asturias University Hospital

The risk of developing PTSD varies widely depending on the injury, its intensity and the person’s personalityresulting from a complex combination of factors.

“Eat pre-traumatic factorssome are individual in nature, such as family history, previous mental disorders, early trauma or low level of education, but peritraumatic ones are more importantparticularly the type and intensity of trauma experienced, and the immediate response, whether or not to receive social support, loneliness as a result of the event, or post-traumatic helplessness.”

Prevention

Faced with these negative risk factors, positive advocateswhich can be individual, for example good emotional regulation, humor, optimism and altruism; but also social ones, such as receiving psychological support, advice, sensitive and empathetic treatment, and knowing that you are surrounded by a trusted group.

If PTSD is not treated early and decisively, the symptoms associated with it will manifest quickly and intensely. “Psychological work with trauma can help regulate the system, minimize impact and prevent more serious consequences,” said Maria Frenzi Rabito, a doctor of psychological sciences. specialist in psychological approaches to trauma.

it is believed that It is extremely important to begin psychological therapy within the first six hours after the traumatic experience. prevent the disruption of memory consolidation that occurs during this period.

Trauma can occur at any time, but in childhood and adolescence it is more associated with physical, emotional or sexual abuse.with physical or emotional neglect, with drug use in the familyhave Parents with mental illness or in prison are subject to bullying and overprotection.

V adulthood are more associated with gender-based and sexual violence, separation, loss of loved ones, and serious illnesses. disability and chronic illness, workplace bullying, economic hardship, immigration, etc.

Suicide

One of the most common comorbid manifestations associated with post-traumatic stress disorder is depression. In field research 52% of people with PTSD have co-occurring depression.which, if it goes on and is not stopped, can manifest itself in quite complex symptoms. with a high risk of suicide, prone to chronicity and poor response to antidepressant treatment, especially because the person is highly prone to relapse.

“PTSD does not go away over time“adds specialist Frenzi Rabito. Exceptincreases the risk of suicide by 2–5 times. and can shorten a person’s life by 10 to 20 years when symptoms are severe.

The specialist expressed concern that treatment for depression often does not include trauma-focused psychological interventions, as different types of trauma may have different effects on depressive symptoms. “This indicates that psychological trauma continues to be ignored in both assessment and treatment.”

In this regard, Dr. Valiente emphasizes that the fundamental principle of treating the problem of comorbid depression is global and combined treatment, both psychotherapeutic and pharmacological.following the recommendations of clinical guidelines for the treatment of both depressive symptoms and trauma-related disorders.

Personally, Trauma directly affects perceptions of safety, there is a loss of confidence in oneself and in others. “The future is perceived as uncontrollable, and behavioral problems may appear as a reaction to stress and the inability to effectively manage emotional situations,” the specialist explained.

Also Amnesia, somatization, addictive and auto-aggressive behavior are common.and the presence of dissociation. Psychological trauma floods everything. Consequently, one of the things a person with PTSD needs most “is to be listened to without feeling judged,” he said.