The Long-Term Impacts of Trauma

Trauma from a life experience can have longer lasting effects on your life than you may realize. The impact of trauma can become complex and affect many aspects of your everyday life.

At Revolution Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment, our board-certified psychiatrist, Richard Repass, MD, offers confidential and comprehensive trauma services to help you deal with the fallout of a traumatic experience.

Dr. Repass uses a variety of general psychiatric techniques to improve your quality of life and provides innovative medication-assisted treatments to address the most serious consequences of trauma, including drug and alcohol addiction.

An overview of trauma

People interpret life experiences differently. Many situations in life can be traumatic, whether they’re a one-time event or an ongoing issue.

Some common trauma trigger events may include:

• Experiencing natural disasters
• Suffering severe injury or illness
• Being a victim of violence
• Witnessing violent events
• Suffering the death of a loved one

These trauma situations can affect you physically, emotionally, and mentally now and for years to come.

You may experience complications of trauma during and immediately after the event, such as anxiety, physical illness, and grief. But it can also take time for you to respond to the traumatic event.

Long-term complications of trauma

In the months and years after the traumatic event, you may notice you’re not who you used to be. It’s common to relive the traumatic event in your mind repeatedly or experience changes in your personality, such as becoming socially or emotionally distant.

You may start denying to yourself and others that the traumatic event even happened.

Other common side effects of trauma may include:

• Frequent crying
• Sleep disturbances
• Breathing issues
• Angry outbursts
• Gastrointestinal distress
• High blood pressure

You may also experience issues related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that makes it difficult for you to work and keep up with your responsibilities.

Another common complication of unresolved trauma is drug and alcohol abuse. People often begin using drugs or drinking as a way to cope with their feelings or to numb their emotions completely. 

Substance abuse can lead to a fast, downward spiral into depression and hopelessness that increases your risk factors for self-harm and suicide.

Help for trauma is available

You may not be the first to recognize how trauma is affecting your life. It may be your closest friends and family members who notice you’re not dealing well with trauma in your life.

However you come to realize that you need help managing your trauma symptoms, Dr. Repass is here to help. He can customize a treatment plan to your unique needs so you learn the tools you need to cope with trauma’s impact on your life.

You may benefit from psychotherapy (talk therapy), cognitive behavioral therapy, and other psychiatric techniques to help you gain perspective on your symptoms. 

Dr. Repass provides you with resources to address the physical, emotional, and mental health issues you’re dealing with. He ensures consistency in care through the available telemedicine services.

If you’re self-medicating with alcohol, opioids, cannabis, or other substances, Dr. Repass may recommend intravenous (IV) infusions of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). He offers in-office infusions of a special formula, BR+NAD™, to reduce your cravings for drugs and alcohol so you can take back control of your life.

You don’t have to suffer in silence because of past trauma. Call us at Revolution Psychiatric and Addiction Treatment for help or book an appointment online today.