Can trauma cause mental illness? Yes. Trauma happens in any extremely stressful situation or situation involving feelings of helplessness, horror, or fear. There is a direct correlation between trauma and mental health disorders and physical health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
Contact Water Gap Wellness Center today to learn more about our outpatient mental health treatment options.
How Common is Trauma?
70% of adults in the United States have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lives. This equates to over two hundred and twenty-three million people. Trauma can come from:
- War or violence
- Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
- Accidents or natural disasters
- Grief
- Child abuse or neglect
- Witnessing violence
Can Trauma Cause Mental Illness?
Does trauma cause mental illness? Yes. Trauma and mental health disorders are deeply connected. People who experience trauma are likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health disorder, as well as depression, anxiety, or substance abuse disorder.
How to Treat Trauma-Based Mental Health Disorders
There are many ways to treat trauma-based mental health disorders.
Traditional Therapy
Traditional therapy is integral to any trauma and mental health treatment program. You can expect to participate in individual and group therapy sessions involving things like:
- Exposure therapy
- Psychotherapy
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
Traditional psychotherapy is the cornerstone of any mental health treatment. You will find individual and group therapy sessions led by qualified psychiatrists on a regular basis during your treatment plan.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the best treatments for things like depression or anxiety. If you are struggling with trauma-related depression or anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy can help you identify negative thought patterns that have led to harmful behaviors and replace them with healthier ones.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is the most effective trauma-based PTSD treatment. If you are struggling with PTSD, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy can help you change how your brain stores traumatic memories without having to sit through multiple therapy sessions and discuss the traumatic events in detail.
What you go through will look different based on your situation. Talking to staff members at Water Gap Wellness Center can help you undergo an assessment and recommendation for the most appropriate course of treatment.
Holistic Therapy
Holistic treatments make great compliments to trauma-based mental health treatment. This looks different for everyone but can include the following:
- Animal-assisted therapy
- Mindfulness
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Wilderness therapy
- Music therapy
- Art therapy
Each facility differs in terms of which holistic therapies they offer but each of these is designed to teach you coping strategies like connecting with others who may have experienced trauma, exercising, relaxing, diverting yourself in healthy ways with music or art, and maintaining a healthy diet and sleep cycle.
Water Gap Wellness Center is a Trauma and Mental Health Treatment Center in the Tri-State Area
Can trauma cause mental illness? Yes, but we can help. Our team of seasoned mental health professionals is trained in the relationships between trauma and mental health disorders.
Many people with trauma benefit from trauma-based mental health treatment at Water Gap Wellness Center. Our facility offers partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and traditional outpatient mental health programs. You can find a level of care that best fits your needs and schedule. With our flexible programs, you can participate in on-site individual and group therapy sessions that involve traditional and holistic treatment.
If necessary, we also specialize in trauma-informed care. This type of treatment for trauma and mental health disorders takes into consideration your previous experiences and designs your treatment so that you have increased control over aspects of your care. The most important part of trauma-informed care is avoiding re-traumatization. With this, we ensure you are not triggered or re-traumatized by any part of your therapeutic environment, care team, or group therapy sessions.
Every client is different. When you reach out to our team, we will start with an initial assessment to determine what mental health disorders you struggle with and what treatment you are most comfortable with. We can review your traditional and holistic options and find a level of care that fits your schedule and works with your health insurance provider. If your insurance provider doesn’t cover all aspects of your treatment, we can review alternate payment methods for the remainder of your cost.
Reach out to Water Gap Wellness Center today to learn more about our mental health treatment center.
