Why does visual trauma cause PTSD?

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I want to start off by saying I take mental health very seriously and have no doubt in my mind that PTSD is very real. My brother suffers from it and it is hell. This is a science question – I don’t want anybody to take this the wrong way. I am simply trying to understand the disease better and its origins.

Why does visual trauma we experience – horrific scenes, gore (I.e. warfare), etc. cause PTSD? In other words, how does it actually damage neurological function? Why does it reoccur in episodes?

In: Biology

7 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Well, we take in information through our senses and translate that into perception and that leads to thoughts and emotions. Trauma is about thoughts an emotions, so seeing something that causes you great distress, hearing something being said/screamed/blowing up, can also cause long lasting impacts on mental health.

The senses that take in the information is irrelevant, it’s how the information is processed in thoughts and emotional responses.

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