You can get a psychological trauma without even being a participant of unpleasant events

It was found that in case when a person just hears any information about some type of catastrophe from another person, the brain information processing scheme is changed and the risk of post-traumatic stress disorders is increased, DNA India reports.

The scientists have specifically observed how the fear of other people changes the brain’s scheme. In PTSD negative emotions leave an imprint on the brain in a literal sense. This makes the person prone to anxiety, inadequate response to external stimuli. All of this increases the risk of mental disorders.

The researchers have noticed that most people, who faced with dangerous events, have not suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. But overall, 7-8 people from every 100 respondents suffered from the disorder at some point. It turns out that you do not have to be a direct victim. Disorder relates to loved ones and even just random people who learned about the incident.

This brought the idea to explore the brain’s area responsible for empathy and understanding of the mental condition of others (prefrontal cortex). In the experiment on mice the scientists have evaluated the transfer of information through the centers which regulate the power of signals received in the prefrontal cortex from other parts of the brain. It turned out that watching the fearful individuals, their smell, sounds and movements changed the distribution of information in the brain of experimental mice.

 Source: МEDdaily