It has been recognised that trauma underpins several mental health conditions, and that retraumatisation, in which a person re-experiences a traumatic event, is common in mental health services.

This article explores the effects of childhood trauma on adult mental distress, and describes the symptoms and behaviours associated with trauma. Mental health practitioners, services and organisations need to ensure trauma-informed care is standard practice to enable service users to move beyond the traumatic events they have experienced. Trauma-informed care should be viewed as a concept rather than an intervention to promote a cultural shift from what is ‘wrong’ with a person to what has happened to them.