Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is anxiety in the aftermath of a traumatic event. You may think of it happening to a soldier returning from war or a victim of a crime. But it also surfaces in situations where you expect help, not harm.
Medical PTSD stems from severe physical or mental pain. It happens in a medical setting like a hospital or doctor’s office. People may also refer to it as medical trauma. When something negative happens to you, trauma can be how you emotionally respond to it. Medical trauma can also trigger conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, or ongoing pain.1
PTSD happens less often than trauma. Experts think around 6 percent of men and 10 percent of women will have PTSD at some point in their lives. Meanwhile, researchers believe trauma affects 60 to 85 percent of people. Similar rates of trauma are seen in children and their families after they have a serious illness, injury, or painful medical procedure.2,3
Medical trauma triggers
There are many possible medical trauma triggers. Each is unique to the person experiencing it. Examples include:1
- Receiving a life-threatening diagnosis, such as finding out you have a rare disease
- Knowing (or not knowing) the possible risks of surgery or a procedure
- Being sedated
- Living with chronic pain from an illness or medical procedure
- Being in unfamiliar surroundings like a hospital
- Feeling powerless to make decisions about your own medical care
- Experiencing a medical error
- Living through an unexpected health emergency
Some people report medical trauma after they go for years feeling like doctors and family do not believe them. This can happen to people with rare conditions since it often takes years to be properly diagnosed.4
Signs and symptoms of medical PTSD
After a traumatic experience, PTSD can emerge in a number of ways. Here are some of the signs and symptoms:5,6
Intrusive thoughts
You may often have flashbacks or nightmares about the event. These reminders can cause a serious physical or emotional response. The negative feelings you had during the event could be triggered by something you see, hear, smell, touch, or taste.
Avoidance
This is when you try to stop yourself from thinking or talking about the event that caused you trauma. You stay away from people, places, or activities that bring back memories of it. For example, you might avoid returning to the hospital or your doctor.
Changes in thinking and mood
PTSD also changes the way you view yourself and the world around you. You may feel hopeless or have trouble with family and friend connections. You may lose interest in things you once enjoyed. Memory problems are another sign of PTSD. You may have problems with your memory in general or about the traumatic event. You may lose confidence in the people tasked with your medical care, like doctors and nurses.
Changes in physical and emotional reactions
These reactions, also called arousal symptoms, may make you feel like you are “on edge.” It is easy to startle or frighten you, and you are always on the lookout for danger. People with PTSD have problems with sleep and focus. They may be easily annoyed, angry, or aggressive. They may engage in harmful behavior like getting drunk.
Healing from medical PTSD
If it is not treated, PTSD can linger for years and even get worse. It impacts your whole life, from the personal to professional.
Counseling can help you to process trauma and PTSD and heal from it. A counselor may treat you using cognitive-behavioral therapy with a focus on trauma, as well as other types of psychotherapy. They may also recommend medicine like an antidepressant.7
Look for a counselor who is interested in your medical as well as social history. They should ask questions about any problems with a medical procedure, and the emotional and physical impact.1