By Elizabeth Yuko, Real Simple, August 31, 2021
Although most people have experienced trauma at some point in their lives, they may not use that term to describe what they've been through. That's because when we think of "trauma," our mind frequently makes the leap to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—specifically, soldiers and veterans who have seen wartime combat.
While our view of trauma has expanded somewhat to include people who have lived through violent crimes, natural disasters, and other exceptionally disturbing events, there is still confusion over what "counts" as trauma, or an event that could result in PTSD. To help clear this up, we asked two trauma experts to walk us through what, exactly, qualifies as trauma, the difference between trauma and PTSD, and how rethinking our concept of trauma can help more people get the help they need.
PTSD is one response to trauma, but not all trauma results in PTSD.
Part of the confusion over the distinctions between trauma and PTSD stems from the fact that people have different understandings and definitions of what's considered trauma, says Adam L. Fried, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and director of the clinical psychology program at Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz.
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