Mental Health Zone | Questionnaire
Questionnaire about difficulties that people are often facing after experiencing a crisis (traumatic) event
In order to share the resources designed for basic psychological support with you, please complete a short questionnaire about the difficulties you may be facing right now. Depending on your answers below, you will find information on what you can do yourself to encourage a natural recovery after experiencing a crisis event, as well as how to access professional support. Your answers will remain confidential. You are free to stop filling out the questionnaire at any time.
Also, we understand that you might be worried about someone other than yourself. If this is the case, please share this platform with others if you think they might benefit from the content it offers.
1.
Do you feel sad, tearful or grieving most of the time?
Sadness is a common emotion when we lose something valuable to us to which we are emotionally attached. The feeling of sadness helps us to understand how valuable what we lost was, it shows us what we are missing and could try to find again, and it helps us to accept the loss and the changes that come with it. It is important to give yourself time to grieve and to get used to the new situation and life without the people and/or things you lost. If you have the opportunity, talk about how you feel with people who are close to you. The feeling that someone understands us and sympathizes with our loss, that we are accepted and that we still have some other values in life can help us in recovery after difficult life experiences.
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
2.
Are you more anxious or fearful than usual?
When faced with a threatening event, fear can be a useful emotion because it allows us to react quickly, increase our chances of survival and protect ourselves. However, after the threatening event has passed, feelings of fear or anxiety are a sign that our present reactions are focused on the past event (or on the uncertain future) and not on what is happening to us in the present. In other words, our organism still remains aroused and in a state of alertness, even though the real threat has passed.
In such situations, it might be useful to apply some grounding or relaxation techniques. READ MORE
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
3.
Do you feel intense shame or guilt (because of painful, past experiences) that have caused you difficulties lately?
Shame or guilt are feelings that can arise because we survived a traumatic event, were unable to avoid it, or because of other reactions to the traumatic event that we experience and/or express. Namely, some of the common reactions to a traumatic event can be flight, fight, feeling “frozen” or “paralyzed”, crying, experiencing a panic attack or survival euphoria. After a traumatic event, people often think about what they could or should have done to change the outcome of the event. Crisis events are unpredictable and beyond our control, and in most cases people who experience a traumatic event can do little or nothing to change the consequences of such event.
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
4.
Do you feel angry, rage or irritable more than usual?
Common reactions after experiencing a crisis event include irritability, anger or rage as a result of strong physical and mental tension, restlessness and shock. Many people who have had extremely difficult experiences wonder how they deserved to have this happen to them and perceive the crisis event or traumatic experience as a great injustice. Anger is a natural reaction to situations that we want to change, so it’s normal for you to feel angry and irritable for some time. At the same time, it is important to understand that anger can alienate people who want to support you, so try to talk to people close to you to give them a chance to understand how you’re feeling and to give you the space you might need.
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
5.
Do you have frequent physical symptoms such as tremors, headaches, fatigue, changes in appetite, changes in sexual desire and behavior, body aches, or do you often get sick?
Different physical reactions are also common after a stressful or traumatic event. After such unpredictable events that we cannot control, it is important to re-establish some level of routine and control in our life. Start taking care of yourself. At the following link you can find more information about techniques that may be useful to you. READ MORE
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
6.
Do you have difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or having more nightmares than usual?
Quality sleep is very important for our mental and physical health. Poor sleep quality is associated with depression, anxiety and other health and mental health difficulties. Unpleasant feelings such as constant worry and preoccupation with problems lead to difficulty falling asleep and achieving quality sleep during the night. Also, after experiencing a crisis event, many people relive the same or similar events in their dreams for some time, which can cause a fear of falling asleep. Here you can find some tips and techniques for better sleep. READ MORE
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
7.
Do you often think about painful past events despite your efforts not to think about them?
After experiencing a crisis or traumatic event, most people often think about what happened to them. Also, some people who have lived through a crisis or traumatic event experience sudden vivid memories or images that make them feel as if they are reliving it. It is important to establish a daily routine that will help us to think about the things that are currently happening to us and that occupy us so that we invest less energy and attention to overwhelming thoughts about the traumatic event. Therefore, include activities you like in your routine, such as reading, hanging out with family or friends, watching a movie, walking, playing with your children. Also, make time for quality sleep, meals and physical activity whenever you can.
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
8.
Do you notice frequent difficulties in concentration, recall, memory and/or decision-making?
Stress, anxiety and thoughts about traumatic experiences distract attention, which can affect our memory and our ability to recall previously memorized facts. In the period after a crisis event, it is normal to experience difficulties with memory and to feel distracted and deconcentrated. If you have the opportunity and think it can help you, write down your obligations and things that are important to you to remember, as well as the thoughts and feelings you deal with in order to become aware of them, clarify them to yourself and face them more easily.
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
9.
Do you notice that most of the time you have no interest in things that used to give you pleasure?
After a traumatic experience, people often have difficulties with motivation and returning to the life they lived before. Many report that they feel that their life is divided into life before and life after the traumatic event. Some people also feel guilty if they find peace or pleasure in different activities, especially if they have lost people who were close to them. However, in order to preserve our health and our capacity to be able to take care of ourselves and other people that are important to us, it is crucial to motivate ourselves to try to relax and experience joy again. Think about all the things that made you happy before (you can also make a list) and try to find at least one of them that you think you could experience now. It can be hanging out with our loved ones, listening to music, praying, watching a movie, taking a walk in the nature or some other form of self-care or your own entertainment. Sometimes we can find pleasure in activities that we had no desire for when we started them. Try again after some time and try the same with different activities.
IMPORTANT: In the period after a crisis event, we can be particularly vulnerable and prone to developing addiction to alcohol, cigarettes or different drugs as well as engaging in various risky behaviors. As comforting as it may seem in the short term, this can only lead to serious difficulties in the long run, so it is extremely important to avoid similar mechanisms of dealing with stress and suffering.
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
10.
Have you recently been unable to perform your regular daily activities such as getting out of bed, showering or preparing a meal because you feel overwhelmed by the problems you are facing?
In the period after a crisis event, you may have difficulties with activities that were part of your daily routine for a while. If you have close people who are available for support, do not hesitate to accept their help with household chores or childcare. Try to motivate yourself to establish your daily routine again (i.e. get up at the same time, eat regularly and take care of your own hygiene) in order to speed up the recovery process. If you notice that you do not have the strength and capacity to take care of yourself and/or your children for more than a few days, it is important to ask for the help of an expert.
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
11.
Have you noticed lately that you often isolate yourself and avoid other people, or that you are excessively dependent on other people?
After experiencing a crisis event, we may have the feeling that no one who has not experienced something similar can understand how we feel. We can feel anger, irritability and frustration, which can make it difficult for us to have conversations with others. Also, if the event was caused by the actions of other people, it can undermine our sense of security and trust in other people. It is good to take time for yourself when you feel the need to be alone, but the support of family and friends as well as the return to routine is an extremely important factor in the recovery process. Try to spend time in relaxing activities together with people close to you and ask for their support when you need it.
If the mentioned difficulties occur more than usual, cause suffering and persist for longer than a month, this is a sign that it might be good to ask for professional help. Asking for support to deal with difficulties is by no means a sign of weakness but a reflection of strength and resilience. Likewise, reactions to traumatic events can be delayed, so pay attention and monitor your thoughts, emotions, and your body in order to get timely support and maintain a state of psychological well-being and mental health. Contact the staff from organizations that are active in your community or your doctor to refer you to a mental health expert who can provide support.
NO – you can move on to the next question.
12.
Sometimes when people experience strong and/or prolonged stress reactions, they might think about harming themselves or other people. Have you had such thoughts lately or have you planned how to make them come true?
Sometimes when we feel that the suffering is unbearable, it can seem to us that such a state will never pass. However, most people recover with the passage of time, and many of them acquire a number of new qualities and strengths to cope with difficult life situations more easily during the process. The very fact that you are here and reading this text speaks of your strength and of your will to heal and survive despite the difficulties you have faced. In order to get the support in finding ways to deal with the suffering you are facing, we strongly advise you to contact a mental health professional as soon as possible. Contact staff from organizations working in your community or your doctor to refer you to a specialist who can provide support.
As part of the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine – KBC Zagreb, there is a CENTER FOR CRISIS AND SUICIDE PREVENTION, where you can come without an appointment or a referral note between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. or call 01 2376 470 from 0 a.m. to 24 hours.
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Read suggestions and tips that may be useful to you in solving problems caused by crisis events.
