She Gets Hysterical And Goes To Pieces.

Question: I'm worried about my best friend. Every now and again she gets hysterical and goes to pieces, and there doesn't seem to be any sensible basis for it. Something pretty bad happened to her when she was in high school, but I didn't know her back then. She doesn't like to talk about it now, so there's not much use me suggesting she see a psychologist. What other options are there? Cathy

Answer: If the problem here is the result of a trauma your friend is right in not wanting to talk about it. Too often this can lead to retraumatisation as the person reverts to the same unempowered and overwhelmed emotional state they were in at the time of the incident. This is NOT useful. It is important to find good professional support as trauma that does not resolve itself in the first year or so can get worse rather than better over time.

Answer provided by Fiona Halse