Trauma and Anxiety Disorders

Time and again we’ve heard stories and seen movies about soldiers who upon returning home from the frontline, are seen to suffer from heightened anxiety as a result of the traumatic experiences they had in the war zone. The 1979 Robert DeNero-Chirstopher Walken movie, The Deer Hunter, comes to mind which provides an in-depth look at how the Vietnam War affected U.S. soldiers long after they had returned from the battle. Walken’s character is haunted by memories of what happened during the war and on his return he is among the clearest examples of what is known as the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a form of an anxiety disorder in which a patient is haunted by memories of the trauma they have undergone in the form of nightmares and flashbacks, along with the feeling of being emotionally numb.

Trauma though is not restricted to experiences in a war zone setting. In fact trauma can come in a wide variety of forms and its impacts can be very long lasting. From rape, assault, accidents, fires, natural disaster, to robberies and deaths, traumatic events can cause intense fear as the victim feels that either he/she, or somebody who he/she is very close to, is about to get seriously injured, or worse still, die. Specific events, particularly those that undermine or threaten family integrity, such as child or spousal abuse, tend to lead to anxiety disorders. For some individuals, just one traumatic incident can serve as the basis of a lifelong phobia or fear, for instance, once bitten by a spider as a child, a person may develop a great, lifelong fear of spiders and may start to panic each time he/she sees one.

The severity of the panic felt is inherently linked to the extent to which the traumatic experience serves a trigger for heightened anxiety. A person who undergoes any traumatic event would be very wise if he/she seeks out the help of a medical professional with whom they are able to communicate their feelings and emotions in relation to what happened. Anxiety disorders which are the result of trauma can make life a living hell as they restrict the enjoyment of what life has to offer. What one needs to remember is that it doesn’t need to be this way…one needn’t be scarred for life. Treatment can come in many forms. In particular, psychological treatment can go a long way to reduce the traumatic event’s influence as a trigger for future anxiety.