The Link Between Chronic Illness and Trauma

It’s estimated that 12 to 25 percent of people who experience life-threatening illness develop medically-induced PTSD (Edmondson, 2014). We know that health consequences of PTSD include diminished mental and physical quality of life. Of particular note is that PTSD produces neurobiological alterations — including higher inflammation levels — that negatively affect health (Koenen & Galea, 2015). PTSD also can affect adherence to medical treatment, as people who use avoidance tactics to manage PTSD symptoms are less likely to take their medication, implement lifestyle changes, and see their doctors for follow-up visits (Edmondson, 2014).

“By recognizing the traumatic aspects of illness the ill person can potentially break through denial, modulate obsession, lessen rage. Group therapies for people who’ve been in battle or sexually assaulted have in common a “telling” of the trauma, which robs it of some of its power to haunt; support groups for the chronically ill have a similar expressive function, as patients trade stories of their symptoms, surgeries, and treatment regimens. And a consequence of this “being in touch” with the pain-with the anger, preoccupation, sadness- can sometimes, over time, be a road to putting the illness in its place. It is part of life, sometimes overwhelmingly so; but it might not have to be all of life.”

Here are some things about our illness that we may express traumatic responses to…

1.    Fear of recurrence of symptoms or lack of a cure
2.    Hypervigilence around looking for the return of illness
3.    Fear of getting close to others
4.    Avoidance of things that we associate illness with, such as missing doctors appointments or putting off testing or surgeries