The Impact of Trauma on the Heart

"Traumas constitute the most difficult experiences in life. Assaults, severe accidents and injuries, natural disasters, life threatening diseases, and the loss of loved ones comprise just some of the most frequent types of traumas. Tragically, traumatic events are also common, with at least half of adults experiencing one or more major traumas according to the best survey research (1).

Although the mental health consequences of trauma and posttraumatic stress are the subject of many movies well-known in U.S. culture (e.g., Born on the 4th of July, Fearless, Manchester by the Sea, Rambo: First Blood, etc.,), the physical health consequences of trauma receive far less attention. Based the latest trauma science (2), however, ignoring these physical consequences of trauma and PTSD represents a grave error with potentially deadly consequences.

Trauma is a mind-body condition, not a mental condition

The official - and oversimplified - narrative about trauma and post-traumatic stress is that they represent intense emotional and behavioral responses to life-threatening events. Acute stress disorder and PTSD in the DSM-5 (the diagnostic manual used by mental health professionals), for example, are diagnosed entirely by emotional and behavioral symptoms such as hypervigilance, anxiety, insomnia, and avoidance of trauma-related situations and stimuli. Yet the rapidly evolving neuroscience on trauma demonstrates unequivocally that the underlying pathophysiology of trauma inside the body is equally profound and potentially even more harmful (3). And among the areas of the body most rapidly and severely affected by trauma is the heart.

Why the trauma-heart relationship is bidirectional

The final important insight about the trauma-heart relationship is that trauma can be both a cause and a consequence of heart problems. Although the laboratory and epidemiological scientific literatures (2) strongly support a connection between trauma symptoms and acute and chronic cardiovascular risk, separate research also shows convincingly that serious cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes frequency cause trauma reactions among survivors (3). Unfortunately, trauma and other emotional responses are often not assessed in emergency rooms or cardiovascular wards where people may be receiving treatment for cardiovascular events, allowing these symptoms to be overlooked or assumed to be transient.

Summary

The bidirectional and potentially synergistic relationship between trauma and the heart makes clear that persons experiencing acute or chronic traumatic stress should receive education and treatment to reduce their potential cardiovascular risk. And persons presenting to medical settings with cardiovascular events should be routinely assessed for trauma to identify symptoms that could worsen their prognosis.

Given the still high rates of traumatic events in modern society, a failure to appreciate the cardiovascular consequences of trauma could have serious public health consequences."

*As a society, we tend to forget that stress can potentially have a big impact on our physical health. We don't realize that our hearts can take a lot of the stress that we go through and it's important to get routinely checked to make sure we are staying healthy. I know that I get chest tightness when I get anxious and it can be really scary! I hope you all continue to stay healthy and take care of yourselves during the holiday! How do you handle stress when it becomes overwhelming?*

#Trauma #Stress #CardiovascularHealth

For the full article, please refer to Psychology Today. ❤️