Trauma Quiz: Did I Experience Trauma?

Traumatic occurrences are unfortunately common. Some people who survive these experiences do not suffer from negative mental health effects, while others develop a variety of distressing and potentially debilitating symptoms. Taking a trauma quiz can help you decide if you should seek professional help.

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What is Trauma?

When the word trauma is used in a mental health context, it refers to the cognitive damage and emotional harm that can occur in the aftermath of a terrifying event or series of events.

Among the general public, trauma is probably most closely associated with military combat. And while warfare can be a leading cause of trauma, it is far from the only experience that can have a traumatic impact on a person’s life.

Other potential causes of trauma include child abuse and/or neglect, physical attacks, sexual assault, verbal harassment, serious illnesses, acts of terrorism, automobile accidents, and severe weather such as tornadoes and hurricanes. In short, any event that causes you to fear for your life or the life of someone you care about can be a source of trauma.

A person can become traumatized if they are directly involved in these types of occurrences, if they witness them, or even if they learn the details of a traumatic event that happened to a loved one.

Common Symptoms

It is completely normal to be afraid or upset after experiencing, witnessing, or learning about something terrible. Typically, though, these feelings begin to fade over time. If a person struggles with considerable distress for an extended period, and if this distress causes them to change their behaviors or otherwise disrupt their life, they may have developed trauma.

A particularly severe response in the aftermath of a traumatic event may lead to a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder. But you don’t have to be diagnosed with PTSD to be affected by trauma. A history of untreated trauma can cause a variety of problems including the development of an anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, substance use disorder, or other behavioral health concern.

Thankfully, PTSD and other effects of trauma can be treated. When you get the care you need, you can regain control of your thoughts and behaviors and learn how to process your traumatic memories in a healthy manner.

But before you can get help, you need to acknowledge that a problem exists. Our trauma quiz can help you decide if you should contact a treatment professional.

Trauma Quiz

Before you begin the trauma quiz, please note the following:

This quiz is provided for your personal information only. It was not developed by a mental health expert, and it is not a diagnostic tool. The answers that you give cannot identify or rule out the presence of any mental health disorder.
Trauma can sometimes cause a person to consider self-harm or suicide. If you are having these types of thoughts, please get help immediately. If you are in the United States, you can call 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) to be connected with a trained counselor. If you are not in the U.S., contact a local healthcare provider or crisis helpline.

Our trauma quiz consists of 15 questions. Each of the questions can be answered either yes or no. You may want to print these questions out and write your answers next to them. Or, you may prefer to record your responses on a separate sheet of paper.

To complete the trauma quiz, please answer the following questions truthfully:

Have you ever been in a situation that caused you to fear for your life?
Have you ever been subjected to verbal or online harassment?
Were you abused or neglected as a child?
Do you have disturbing dreams that remind you of difficult moments from your past?
Have you changed your behaviors to avoid seeing people or places that remind you of a disturbing event from your past?
Have you ever used alcohol or another drug to try to block out memories of disturbing events from your past?
Do you often feel like you are in danger, even in situations where this is clearly not the case?
Do you believe that you are responsible when bad things happen to you or your loved ones?
Do you often experience headaches, stomach aches, muscle tension, and other types of physical pain without an identifiable cause?
Have you ever felt detached from your surroundings or removed from your own thoughts and feelings?
During stressful moments, do you often lash out in anger or become overwhelmed by sadness?
Have you begun to lose interest in hobbies, issues, topics, or activities that used to be very important to you?
Have you been experiencing memory problems?
Do you have difficulty making decisions?
Do you find it difficult or impossible to feel happiness?

Assessing My Trauma Quiz

Again, it is important to understand that this trauma quiz is not a diagnostic tool. The only way to receive an accurate diagnosis of PTSD or another mental health concern is to complete a thorough assessment with a qualified healthcare provider.

With that understanding, if you answered “yes” to any of the questions in the trauma quiz above, you may be experiencing the mental health effects of untreated trauma. The best course of action is to speak with your family doctor or consult with a mental health expert. If you are diagnosed with PTSD or any other mental health disorder, the professional who provides this diagnosis can also recommend appropriate treatment options.

Overcome The Symptoms of Trauma at Montare Behavioral Health in Los Angeles, CA

If you have been struggling with PTSD or other effects of trauma, Montare Behavioral Health can help. Our treatment center in Los Angeles offers personalized inpatient and outpatient care for adults. We also offer specialized programs for college students, young adults, women, military veterans, and professionals. With our help, you can live the healthier and happier life you deserve. Contact us today to learn more.