Trauma and PTSD: getting the right support
An accident, an assault, a disaster, a frightening medical event. Trauma comes in many forms, and so do the ways people carry it. This guide is about knowing what's a normal reaction, what suggests PTSD, and how gently support can begin when you're ready.
What's a normal reaction after a traumatic event?
Feeling shaken, tearful, numb, jumpy, angry or unable to sleep after something frightening is a normal human response, not a sign of weakness. For most people these reactions ease over days to weeks, especially with support from people they trust.
In that early period, the basics do real work: keeping some routine, sleeping and eating as regularly as you can, spending time with people who feel safe, and going easy on alcohol. There's no correct way to feel after trauma, and no timetable you're failing to meet.
How is PTSD different from a normal stress reaction?
PTSD is when strong reactions last longer than about four weeks and follow a pattern: reliving the event through intrusive memories or nightmares, avoiding reminders of it, feeling constantly on guard, and changes in mood or how you see yourself and the world. When these are getting in the way of daily life, it's time to seek support.
- Reliving. Unwanted memories, flashbacks or nightmares that arrive uninvited and feel vivid.
- Avoiding. Steering around places, people, conversations or feelings connected to what happened.
- Being on guard. Startling easily, scanning for danger, irritability, trouble sleeping or concentrating.
- Mood and belief shifts. Guilt, shame, numbness, or a sense that the world, or you, has changed for the worse.
PTSD can also surface months or even years after the event, sometimes triggered by a reminder or a new stress. A late start doesn't make it less real, or less deserving of care.
Can PTSD be treated?
Yes. PTSD is a recognised, treatable condition, and many people recover well with the right psychological support. A GP can prepare a Mental Health Treatment Plan, which makes Medicare-rebated sessions with a psychologist available.
The plan itself is prepared with your GP in a longer appointment. It sets out your goals and the support you'll receive, and your GP reviews it with you along the way. It's the same pathway described in our guide to stress and anxiety. Trauma-focused talking therapy with a psychologist is typically the core of care, taken at a pace you agree to.
What happens when you see a GP about trauma?
You stay in control of the conversation. You don't have to describe the traumatic event itself. Telling your GP that something happened and how you've been feeling since is enough to start. Your GP will explain the options, and nothing goes ahead without your agreement.
A GP visit also helps because trauma can show up in the body (sleep problems, pain, headaches, a churning stomach) and because low mood or anxious feelings often travel alongside it. Your GP can look at the whole picture and, when you're ready, connect you with psychological support that fits.
You set the pace. Saying "something happened, and I'm not okay" is a complete first sentence.
If you need help right now
Our clinic isn't an emergency service. If you or someone you care about is in immediate danger, or you're thinking about suicide or self-harm, please reach out now: free, confidential support is available 24/7.
Emergency 000 · Lifeline 13 11 14 · Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
Ready when you are
Start by talking it through with a GP, seven days a week.
How Sirius Health can help
At our Chatswood clinic, your GP can listen without judgement, check on your sleep and physical health, and, when you're ready, prepare a Mental Health Treatment Plan so you can see our psychology team with Medicare rebates. Because our GPs and psychologist work under one roof, your care stays joined up, and we can speak with you in English, Cantonese or Mandarin.
Sources: healthdirect, PTSD; Phoenix Australia, Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health; Services Australia, Mental health care and Medicare.