A study on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a relatively new diagnosis that was associated with survivors of war when it was first introduced. Its diagnosis was met largely with skepticism and dismissal by the public of the validity of the illness. PTSD was only widely accepted when it was included as a diagnosis in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) of the American Psychiatric Association. PTSD is a complex mental disorder that develops in response to exposure to a severe traumatic event that stems a cluster of symptoms. Being afflicted with the disorder is debilitating, disrupting an individual’s ability to function and perform the most basic tasks.

Post-traumatic stress disorder abbreviated PTSD is a response to traumatic events in someone’s life. Traumatic events are events that provoke fear, helplessness or horror in response to a threat or extreme stressor (Yehuda, 2002). Soldiers and other military members are at a much higher risk to Post traumatic stress disorder due to combat and other stressful situations they are put into. People effected by Post-traumatic stress disorder will have symptoms including flashbacks, avoidance of things, people or places that remind them of the traumatic event. Also, hyper arousal which includes insomnia, irritability, impaired concentration and higher startle reactions. In this paper I will discuss post-traumatic stress disorder, its signs, symptom and effects on culture as portrayed in the movie, American Sniper.

PTSD, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develop PTSD. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life.

It was not until the 1980’s that the diagnosis of PTSD as we know it today came to be. However, throughout history people have recognized that exposure to combat situations can have profound negative impact on the mind s and bodies of individuals in these situations. But there are other catastrophic events that can have such profound impact on people resulting in PTSD…

PTSD is listed among a group called Trauma-and-stressor-Related Disorders. For a person to be diagnosed with PTSD, they must have been exposed to, witness, or experience the details of a traumatic experience (e.g., a first responder), one that involves “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” (APA, 2013, p. 271). (PRU, 2016, p. 66). The aforementioned definition of PTSD relates to soldiers; the manifestations and causes experienced with traditional PTSD can look somewhat different. Obvious causes of PTSD in soldiers stem from exposure to stressful circumstances within combat, exposure to the suffering and death of others, destruction, personal danger, and injury. A study on Vietnam soldiers provides insight on less obvious causes of PTSD. The study suggests

Human brains have the incredible ability to shut unpleasant memories out and hide them. However, eventually those memories will come to the surface whether it is days or years after the event occurs. PTSD is a relatively new diagnostically recognized mental health disorder that many Americans and others know little about. PTSD is estimated to affect 3.6% of adult Americans, about 5.2 million people suffer from PTSD over the course of a year, and this number is rising. An estimated 7.8 million Americans will have PTSD at some point in their lives. It can develop at any age in anyone ( ). In this paper PTSD will be described, explained, and treatment options and symptoms will be talked about.

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Post-traumatic stress disorder, also commonly known has PTSD, can occur when someone witness something traumatic event, can only be diagnosed after 6 months after the event. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder causes a chemical change in the brain.

Morris states that the worst things in the world enter the brain in an instant, though it may take the rest of someone’s life to understand what they saw (Morris 45). Monjaraz says that he saw brutal things and did not get affected by it until the night time came around. He cried in his sleep, made groaning noises, mumbled things and had night sweats (Monjaraz). Morris states that fundamentally, we do not know why some people are damaged by terror and some are not. He adds that according to the Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, the

PTSD is a psychological problem that affects people who have survived a traumatic experience. When a person experiences a traumatic event in their life, that event leaves a type of scar on their mind. Unlike physical scars, psychological scars may not heal and the person may be unaware of their symptoms. While these “scars” may not be obvious at first, they may cause problems later in life, sometimes months or years later. This makes recognizing the disorder difficult. However, much research in recent years has increased people’s knowledge of the symptoms of PTSD. It was first defined as a disorder in 1980 by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (Galea et al., 2005).

Imagine living your entire life in constant fear. People often experience a sense of fear after living through an upsetting event. However, the feelings of fear, sadness, and anxiety slowly drift away and go back to normal. This is not the case for people diagnosed with PTSD. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be developed following a traumatic event that threatens your safety or makes you feel helpless”. (Smith, Segal, 2014). Society oftens links PTSD with soldiers being traumatized by war events, however, anybody can develop PTSD from any type of overwhelming life experience.

For survivors of traumatic events, the trauma itself is often only the beginning. While some are relatively unaffected, many others will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, an affliction that haunts its victims with terrifying memories, nightmares, and panic attacks. (For a comprehensive list of symptoms and diagnostic criteria, the reader may refer to the DSM-IV, relevant portions of which may be found online (7).) The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 3.6 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 suffer from PTSD; 30 percent of those who have spent time in war zones - one million veterans of Vietnam alone - are

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a stress disorder that can occur after a traumatizing experience. PTSD is defined in our text as “A trauma -and stressor¬¬- related disorder that develops from directly or indirectly experiencing actual or threatened death, serious injury, or violence” (Real World Psychology).

PTSD is a syndrome that develops after a person is involved in, sees, or hears of a severe and extreme traumatic stressor. The person reacts to the stressor helplessness, fear, avoidance of things that remind them of the event, and may persistently relive the event (APA, 2000). PTSD is a disorder that is often associated with combat veterans, but can also be experienced by civilians undergoing extreme

Regardless of the career or social engagements, individuals are always prone to traumatic events that change the perception of the world. The impact of the traumatic event lasts for varied time periods depending on several factors such as the capacity of an individual to absorb stress. Although traumatic events are great a result of war and any activity threatening life, there are several factors that amount to a traumatic event. Post-traumatic stress disorder can be described as a psychological response in regard to the experience resulting from intense traumatic events and more so those events that threaten life. Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect individuals across diverse groups of age, gender, and culture. Although the concept of

Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was seen as a condition where people are shocked into fear of facing situations. Over the years, it was labeled as “Soldier’s Heart” in the post Civil war era and “Shell Shock” in the World War I. In a situation of ‘fight-or-flight’ an individual is triggered to escape from danger, however in PTSD this reaction is reversed in which case the individual feels a constant threat of danger even when there is no danger present.The person diagnosed with PTSD can be anyone from a child to an adult. Many causes of this disorder include traumatic events, knowing someone who is in danger, genetic factors, and more. Symptoms include