Trauma Patient: Prevalence, Pathophysiology, and Trauma-Informed Care

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Trauma Patient
Student name

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Trauma
Trauma can be defined as the emotional and psychological event, which is extremely
distressing and disturbing. When an individual face highly stressful event that makes him or
her feeling out of control emotionally and hopelessness, this may lead to trauma. The
traumatic condition normally includes a life-threatening risk to like or safety of the person.
Trauma can be classified into three different types: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
complex trauma and developmental trauma. Symptoms of psychological trauma include
depression, shame, emotional shock, overwhelmed fear, emotional numbing, social isolation
and withdrawal, mood swings, disorientation, confusion, visual images of the event, lack of
concentration, avoidance of activities, lack of activities that are previously enjoyable. Trauma
can be caused by various factors like the death of loved ones, accident, surgeries, and one-
time events. As mentioned in the case scenario Mr. Daud experienced various traumatic
events like the death of his family member, discrimination, years in retentions, guilt for
leaving his family behind, lack of sleeping, anxiety, and lack of concentration. In this essay
report some of the topics like the prevalence of trauma in a mental health presentation, the
pathophysiology of trauma, and trauma-informed care. In this essay implementation of
trauma, informed care will also be discussed.
This health condition is a worldwide problem that affecting people psychologically,
emotionally and physically. This mental health issue is not a new concept, it has been
affecting people for many years. The psychological evidence of this mental health problem
was seen in the inception of different wars such as the epic of Gilgamesh, and homer Iliad.
The evidence of psychological and emotional trauma was mentioned in Shakespeare’s work.
War tiredness, exhaustion and depression or anxiety has been observed during the First
World War. Another war fought between 1995- 1975" evidenced the symptoms of trauma

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such as anxiety, nightmares, drug dependence, alcohol use, and lack of responsiveness. The
females in armed forces or military specifically nurses experienced severe trauma issues like
post-traumatic stress disorder. Particularly in the US the lifelong prevalence was nearly 7 to
13 % and 1-year prevalence was nearly 4 to 6 %. Females develop trauma issues more than
males. The rates of post-traumatic stress disorder are similar in both male and females. Each
year in the United States more than 1400 kids nearly 2 children per 100000 die due to abuse
or neglect. Particularly in 2005, estimated 900,000 kids were the victim of child
maltreatment. A study conducted by pence et al (2012) on nearly 926 Tanzanian patients
revealed that those established HIV infections had the maximum exposure to childhood and
lifetime traumatic experience, and the newly diagnosed cases have lower exposure. Another
study conducted by Kilpatrick, Resnick, Milanak, Miller, Keyes, & Friedman, 2013) on
2,953 participants revealed that prevalence of one type of violence victimization (physical
abuse, assault) was 53.1 percent. Lifetime prevalence recorded by using DSM 4 was 10.6 and
past 12 months prevalence was 6.9 percent. Shi et al (2017) also conducted a study on 2706
of health care workers and found that overall prevalence of the physical violence in the last
12 months was 13.60 percent. PTSD prevalence month the healthcare providers who faced
physical violence was 28 percent. Another study conducted by surveying 1000 people from
four different Southern US cities found that nearly 69 % of participants experienced
minimum one type of trauma out of nine major stressors of trauma once in a life, and nearly
21 percent reported top had one event in last one year. A report published by Australian
Bureau of Statistics (2012) revealed that particularly in 2007 in Australia females aged
between “16 to 85” experienced higher rate (22%) of mental health problems than males.
Trauma is the health condition which is highly distressing and disturbing; it is both
physiological and psychological. In the psychological trauma, the damage has been caused to
the person’s psychological health or psyche due to an event that was extremely stressful. The

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neurobiology of trauma includes the stimulation of the HPA axis which is the connection
between the hormones and the nervous system. It connects the 3 structure of the brain:
pituitary gland, hypothalamus, and adrenal gland (Sherin, & Nemeroff, 2011). Hypothalamus
is present inside the brain that in the communication with other structures of the brain such as
pituitary gland. In traumatic events, the Hypothalamus triggers the secretion of hormones
from the pituitary gland in response to traumatic situations. These hormones then stimulate
the secretion of other hormones like catecholamine, opiates, oxytocin, and cortisol from the
adrenal gland. These hormones work like a signal in order to help the body to respond to any
traumatic event (Heim, & Nemeroff, 2009). Another brain part called Amygdala specifically
work in the processing of emotional information. When any stressor attacks the body,
amygdala processes the fast assessment of the condition and whether the stressful event
needs a systematic reaction. If the events required that systematic response then this part of
the brain stimulate the system handle the situation. Further, the sympathetic nervous system
has been activated by the Amygdala to prepare the body for a fight or flight response. This
condition may cause improper heart rate and muscle tone and change on breathing activity.
Amygdala also activates the HPA axis that is the main circuit of the brain cells.
Corticotrophin-releasing hormones also release from the hypothalamus (Lanius et al, 2010).
Corticotrophin-releasing hormones also abbreviated as CRH (Wegner, Helmich, Machado,
Nardi, Arias-Carrión, & Budde, 2014). The secretion of two other hormones beta-endorphins
and ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic hormone) has been improved by these hormones from the
pituitary gland. This ACTH triggers the release of cortisol, this hormone plays a key role in
the human nervous system through affecting the person’s memory, emotions, and learning
ability. Some of the researchers found that chronic stress and the psychological and
emotional trauma lead to impair the regulation of HPA. Beta-endorphins play specific
function to prepare the body to cope with stressors and pain associated with trauma. In