In this Monday’s (1st) edition of the Medical Correspondent chart of Novo Dia, neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes spoke about post-traumatic stress disorder.
Over the weekend, the collapse of a cave in Altinópolis, in the interior of São Paulo, left nine dead and 18 injured. Experiencing intense experiences with serious consequences can impact people in different ways, and one of them is trauma.
“At the moment of the tragedy itself, when the problem is happening, there is a activation of the circuit that is responsible in the brain to maintain life”, explained Gomes. “The problem is that the event, once resolved, regardless of whether there are deaths or not, leaves a mark inside the brain tissue.”
The doctor explains that traumatic experiences are “recorded” in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which, together with the prefrontal cortex, can “relive” the experiences in victims after the accident.
“It is to be expected that in the acute moment [de uma tragédia] the individual does not even pay attention to what is happening because the only concern that exists is to maintain life at all costs”, said Gomes.
“But as time goes by, it is natural that part of the victims and people involved may experience that situation with flashbacks and physical manifestations related to the accident, often discouraging the person to move forward — it is post-traumatic stress syndrome.”
Fernando Gomes pointed out that accident victims or those who experience traumatic experiences seek professional help to overcome the problem.
“Psychiatry and psychology play a fundamental role in welcoming these people and in preparing them so that there is no such exuberant clinical manifestation [do trauma no cérebro]”, said the neurosurgeon.
(*With information from Raphael Florêncio, from CNN, in São Paulo)
(Published by João Guimarães)
Reference: CNN Brasil
