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A Look Into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

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A Look into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Rachael S
09/15/2013

PTSD affects 7.7 million American adults, but it can occur at any age (NIMH, PTSD, Who is at risk). The sight of violence and death leaves lasting effects on people. How do you think those people cope with what they saw when the Twin Towers went down? How do people cope with such traumatic experiences? The events that lead to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can impact one’s life, fortunately there are ways to treat it.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm (National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), post-traumatic stress disorder Para 2). It is the consequence of …show more content…

In some people symptoms can become chronic. After the diagnosis has been established, it’s best to start treatment right away.
The main treatments for people with PTSD are psychotherapy, medications, or both (NIMH, PTSD, treatments). It’s important to find a mental health provider that is experienced with PTSD. There are different types of psychotherapy also known as “talk” therapy (NIMH, PTSD, treatments, Page 5). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has several parts to it including Exposure therapy, Cognitive restructuring, and Stress inoculation training. Exposure therapy helps people face and control their fear. It exposes them to the trauma they experienced by using mental imagery, writing, or visits to the place where the event happened. The therapist uses these tools to help people cope with their feelings. Cognitive restructuring helps people make sense of the bad memories. This therapy helps people look at what happened in a realistic way, because sometimes people remember the event differently than how it happened (NIMH, PTSD, treatments, Page 6). People with PTSD may feel guilty for what happened, even though it was not their fault. Stress inoculation training therapy tries to reduce PTSD symptoms by teaching a person how to reduce anxiety, by helping

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