Critical Incident Debriefing

PTSD is increasing with expanding population today while the decreasing levels of mental healthcare services is making the mismatch more problematic for affected individuals and for the society as a

I find it troubling that our Soldier’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms are being discredited by the medical community. It appears as though there has been a shift in our commitment to the health of the men and women who served this nation. These ideas connect to the overall ideas of the unit because it provides greater insight on challenges that patients and medical professionals experience when coping with cognitive health concerns. I do not have any personal experience associated with PTSD; however, the problem that I find in this article is that it suggests the effects of trauma which causes PTSD can be measured by a universal criteria. For example, I believe this research should consider that each individual has a unique level of tolerance to trauma which may cause them to respond in varying degrees of severity. Additionally, a patient’s inability to accurately express their symptoms may play a major factor which is causing this disparity. I recommend that further research should be conducted to

He discusses the effectiveness of this method and even that it has been proven to completely cure PTSD in some patients, mainly veterans which are my target patient of discussion. This article is credible because it was written by a good psychologist and was published in a credible medical journal.

However, the veterans understand that it’s a day-to-day process and their willingness to change brings them closer to their sanity. According to Haluk and Lawrence (2014), efforts to introducing evidence-based practices (EBP) in treatment settings are more successful when members of an organization are “ready to change”(p.73). This is to be true, members of the PTSD group understand that their mental illness has affected them in some shape or form. Therefore, their motivation to attend group and seek help promotes a positive implementation of EBPs. In addition, staff training is a paramount requirement for successful EBP implementation and sustainment (Haluk & Lawrence, 2014). The VA has highly qualified, licensed practitioners that are capable to implement EBPs. VA staff undergoes supervision, monitoring of performance, and booster trainings sessions to better prepare and successfully operate an

Evidence-based practices have been gaining a lot importance recently and it was so interesting to search the online libraries to actually see how many exist. It was stimulating to go onto the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices websites and be in awe of abundance of programs. There were programs for almost every type of social work practice. While looking through the different databases in regards to evidence-based practice (EBP), one in particular really caught my attention. The particular EBP that will be discussed is known as Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I chose this specific one because I have a great interest in therapies with those suffering from PTSD.

According to Goulston’s book, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for Dummies, PTSD, when first being treated, was not a priority taken by doctors. PTSD was perceived as a weakness before. Doctors were not taking this epidemic serious with soldiers, nor doing anything about it, only labeling them with PTSD. Towards the end of the 1900s, PTSD was being looked at seriously because soldiers fought hard to get the world to do so (Goulston 11). Goulston demonstrates that doctors recognized that anyone can obtain PTSD after a trauma. This disorder was obscured when first seen. Doctors took minimal ations to none to help the soldiers that were suffering. During the Vietnam War era, PTSD was finally being looked into because there was a large case of soldiers that obtained this disorder during this time. Soldiers themselves were fighting for PTSD recognition because of the dangers and symptoms it can have during war. Matthew J. Friedman’s research describes how PTSD diagnosis’ were created due to the exposure of traumatic experiences from a number of social

PTSD is only now being recognized as a legitimate disease. When symptoms, of what is now PTSD, began showing up on the battlefields in the 1800’s, doctors of the military had “begun to diagnose soldiers with ‘exhaustion’” (Eagan,p. 360). Medicine of the time was about physical disorders. Doctors paid little to no attention to the enigmatic field of mind-body medicine. “Exhaustion” was the diagnosis of a “mental shutdown” caused by trauma (Eagan,p. 360). Diagnosing soldiers with ‘exhaustion’ was the military’s and

The studies that have been completed on the treatment effectiveness of combat related PTSD were done on already discharged veterans and the effect sizes have been significant lower than those of civilian studies. There are many different reasons as to why there are differences between the studies on civilians and combat veterans. The first is that combat trauma is unique and more difficult to treat compared to civilian trauma. The second reason that could potentially explain the difference is that in the studies currently the treatment was for veterans who were exposed to the combat trauma decades before that. The third reason is that there are often significant comorbid conditions among veterans (Peterson et al.,

I agree the biggest issue with dealing with mental health is people are unwilling to accept or even acknowledge that they need assistance. As you stated changing the perception of receiving mental assistance is the key to increasing the amount of first responders accepting help. Changing the stigma of the strong sucks it up and the weak can’t take it, has to be implemented by people in the position of authority. Making it mandatory with first responders and even in the military that critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) should be initiated within 24-48 hour after experiences any traumatic event may reduce any long-term impact.

PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an increasing problem in our country. PTSD has its roots in the military, but the entire populace is subject to its effects. I served my country for the past 21 years and have seen the before and after of the effects of combat, so any discussions about PTSD, diagnosis, treatments, and cures is likely to catch my eye. In this paper, we will discuss the basics on PTSD, current rates in society, and list the possible cures and or treatments that are currently in use. The prevalence in society should show that all people should be familiar with the signs and systems, as well as knowing some of the basic treatments to assist afflicted individuals. The goal of this paper is to provide just that for the reader.

According to Gulliver and Steffen (2010) individuals involved in treatment for symptoms of PTSD are more likely to meet criteria for a SUD compared to the average person; the same goes for individuals seeking treatment for a SUD in relation to a potential PTSD diagnosis. It is important to address the needs of this population (co-occurring PTSD and SUD) and develop effect treatment methods because they often experience more severe symptoms, have lower functioning in daily activities of living, have poorer sense of wellbeing, poorer physical health, higher rates of chronic physical pain diagnoses, and worse treatment outcomes (Schafer & Najavits, 2007; Gulliver & Steffen, 2010). The development of successful and effective treatment for co-occurring PTSD and SUDs has the potential to significantly impact the public health system by reducing costs associated with untreated or misguided treatment of these two disorders (Gulliver & Steffen, 2010).

Do you know the symptoms and treatments of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD)? The summary, of this PTSD PSA, is a longer than normal video on the symptoms and treatments of PTSD covering all three appeals. The video utilized a variety of graphic pictures, large text, and somber music to inform the viewer about the warning signs and therapies for both men and women. Some of the triggers are not always known ahead of time, and some people do not want other to know for the fear of being labeled. In the Public Service Announcement (PSA), “PTSD,” produced by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the Administration’s presentation of logos overshadows their less successful presentation of pathos and ethos concerning the topic of

The prevention of PTSD is a tricky area, because the trauma is not always assessed and treatment is not provided immediately after the event occurs. Research is continually examining methods and programs to prevent PTSD symptoms. A experimental program from NCIRE (Veterans Health Research Institute) goal was to prevent a pilot program to prevent PTSD symptoms from initially developing (Neylan, McCaslin-Rodrigo, & Choucroun, 2010). The Deployment Anxiety Reduction Training (DART) is one of the main focal point of reducing the initial stress reaction related to combat trauma, though stress is the normal reaction individuals have to life threatening situations and combat (Neylan et.al. 2010). PTSD symptoms are formed from the extreme stress of

If veterans do struggle with PTSD after they return from combat the Department of Veterans Affairs, a governmental agency that helps struggling veterans recover, offers two treatments. Studies have been done to see if one of the therapies is more effective than the other. There is not yet evidence that one therapy is better than the other. Cognitive processing therapy, CPT, helps by giving the vet a new way to deal with the maladaptive thoughts that come with PTSD. It also comforts them in gaining a new understanding of the traumatic events that happened to them. One of the other benefits of CPT is that it assists the person in learning how these disturbing events change the way they look at everything in life and helps them cope with that (“PTSD: National”). The second newer option of the two is prolonged exposure therapy, which is repeated exposure to these thoughts, feelings, and situations (“Most PTSD”). This type of therapy is now a central piece in the VA’s war on PTSD. “The problem with prolonged exposure is that it also has made a number of veterans violent, suicidal, and depressed, and it has a dropout rate that some researchers put at more than 50 percent, the highest dropout rate of any PTSD therapy that has been widely studied so far,”(“Trauma Post”). Both of the therapies are proven to reduce the symptoms but both have extremely high drop out rates and low follow through. It

This treatment approach is based on cognitive and learning theories, tackling-misleading beliefs related to the traumatic events of acknowledgments related to the abuse and provides a supportive environment of which individuals are encouraged to talk about their traumatic experience. A numerous amount of research has been carried out to investigate into how effective CBT really can be for PTSD. (Resick et al, 2002) carried out an investigation comparing CBT with strong cognitive restructuring focus and CBT with a strong exposure focus and to a waiting-list control of rape survivors. Prior to this experiment approximately 80% of patients who completed either form of CBT no longer met the criteria for PTSD. Once this investigation was complete a follow up treatment took place of which it was noted 2% of the waiting list group had lost the PTSD diagnoses. Only a year after this investigation Bryant, Moulds, Guthrie, Dang & Nixon, (2003) restructured the experiment comparing exposure alone, exposure plus cognitive restructuring, and supportive counselling in civilians with PTSD resulting from various traumatic events. At this particular follow up 65-80% of participants who either completed either form of CBT were now clear of PTSD diagnosis, compared to less than 40% of those who completed supportive counselling.