Living Life in Fear with 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.

When humans undergo traumatic events that threaten their safety and wellbeing, they may become vulnerable to nightmares, fear, excessive anxiety, depression, and trembling. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological illness that results from the occurrence of a “terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise unsafe experience” (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 2012). This condition often leads to unbearable stress and anxiety. PTSD is significantly prevalent as indicated by data from the National Co-morbidity Survey which shows that at a particular time in their lives, 7.8% of 5, 877 adults in America suffered from PTSD (Andrew & Bisson, 2009). In the general population, the lifetime prevalence is estimated at 8%,

According to an article published in the International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is triggered by a traumatic event that has endangered one’s physical integrity of one’s self, witnessing an event where death, injury, or threat of someone else’s physical integrity has occurred, as well as learning about traumatic events that has happened to someone close to the PTSD victim, much like it was described as in the book (Mendes, Mello, Ventura, Passarela, Mari, 2008). According to an article written by Naomi Breslau (2009), the term Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is actually a fairly new diagnosis as it was only adopted into the third edition of the DSM, published in 1980. PTSD was once considered a fairly rare condition, according to Keane, Marshall, and Taft, (2006), but as the years have passed more and more research has come out and it turns out that PTSD is in fact fairy common, especially among sexual abuse victims and combat warriors, however anyone can experience this disorder if they experience a trauma for themselves. PTSD is ultimately a product of extreme fear, according to C. Lin, Tung, P. Lin, Huang, and Liu (2016), in a recent article, as the memories of the traumatic event intrude on the areas of the brain that are associated with fear such as the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and the amygdala. Since memories of fear generally become extinct fairly easily, it takes an extreme case of fear to engrain itself into your brain and stay with you as it does with

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric sequel to a stressful event or situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature. It develops after a person is involved in a horrifying ordeal that involved physical maltreatment or the threat of physical harm. These events can include combat or military experience, abuse during childhood or adulthood (physical or sexual), terrorist attacks, serious accidents or natural disasters. This person may have been the one that was harmed, witnessed a harmful event or had a loved one who was harmed. It is normal for the body’s fight or flight mechanism to engage in times of danger. With a person who has PTSD, that mechanism is damaged and the person feels this even when they are not in danger. Symptoms can be categorized into four different areas – re-experiencing symptoms (flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts) , avoiding situations that remind the person of the event, negative changes in beliefs and feelings (may be fear, guilt, shame or losing interest in those activities that once were enjoyable) and hypervigilence (always feeling keyed up, trouble concentrating or sleeping). There are also feelings of hopelessness, despair, depression or anxiety, alcohol or substance abuse, physical symptoms or chronic pain and problems with employment and relationships.

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.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a mental health condition that is generally classified as an anxiety disorder. It is often caused by a traumatic events or emotional trauma in one’s life that leads to terrifying flashbacks, nightmares and extreme anxiety. The main cause of this disorder is the conscious and subconscious fear-memories that have developed. In essence the ‘fight or flight” response that we all have is severely damaged, even when not in a stressful or dangerous situation those suffering from PTSD may feel stressed and in danger.

Those who have studied PTSD have traced the cause back to a haunting event in an individual’s life. “A traumatic event is one where you see that you are in danger, your life is threatened, or where you see other people dying or being injured” (RCPSYCH.uk). PTSD creates a type of anxiety, and this type of anxiety prevents the patient

It took me to the National Center for PTSD page. The first thing that you see on the page is the header “What is PTSD?”. I learned that Post Traumatic stress disorder can happen after you have been through one or a series of traumatic events or situations. A traumatic event can be described as something really scary or terrifying that you usually go through, hear about, or something that you see. For example it could be something like sexual/physical abuse, or assault. Being in a car accident. Going through combat or even being exposed to combat. During any of these events, or many more, you usually feel as if you and/or other peoples lives are in harms way. You feel overwhelmed and have no control over anything that is happening. (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs) This website states that “ Most people have some stress-related reactions after a traumatic event; but, not everyone gets PTSD. If your reactions don 't go away over time and they disrupt your life, you may have PTSD.” (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs) Secondly, the website goes over the topic of how PTSD develops and the symptoms of PTSD. The way that PTSD develops depends on a lot of different things. The website says that these things are : How intense the trauma was or how long it lasted. If you were injured or lost someone important to you. How close you were to the event. How strong your reaction was. How much you felt in control of events, and lasty how much help and support you got

PTSD is post traumatic stress disorder, a very common mental health condition triggered by experiencing or seeing a terrifying event, affecting three million adults and childrens of varied ages a year, although it can not be cured, there are forms of treatment available to help with the symptoms. PTSD is not a new diagnoses, it used to be called “Shell Shock” or “Battle Fatigue”. After a trauma has occurred in someone 's life it is normal to have some type of reaction to the event, however if the symptoms get worse over time PTSD is more likely to develop. Symptoms often have triggers that bring back past memories that can cause very intense physical and emotional reactions, along with other problems that may inhibit some parts of their life including their personal life with family, work or how they may think. PTSD is not a sickness or a disease, but a result of being exposed to something that was very traumatic and the bodies way of trying to cope.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental condition caused by a terrifying event. Usually seen in war veterans, this disorder can change anyone’s life forever. An individual will show generally four types of symptoms: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, or changes in emotional reactions. Intrusive memories consist of unwanted memories of the traumatic event such as flashbacks. Avoidance symptoms may include trying not thinking about the traumatic event. Negative changes in thinking and mood symptoms may include negative feelings about one’s self, lack of interests in activities one used to enjoy, and difficulty maintaining close relationships. Changes in emotional reaction symptoms may include angry

These traumatic events overwhelm the mind and the affected is unable to process information and feeling. The individual experiencing PTSD goes through feels and thoughts during their traumatic event that interrupts the mind and causes distress. PTSD is not only related to combat; as shell shock was, but also can occur from a rape, witnessing a murder, combat, and a disaster. A person can also develop post-traumatic stress disorder from seeing or learning about an event, which can cause death or even injury. The person dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder goes through a chemical imbalance that affects their mood and anxiety. These imbalances cause the infected to go through different levels of mental behavior, from avoidance, flashbacks, dreams of the traumatic event, angry outbursts or aggressive behavior and trouble

A little background: PTSD is a psychological disorder formed from traumatic experiences that involves physical harm or the threat of physical harm that make the person feel stressed or frightened when they are no longer in danger. Signs and symptoms of PTSD can be grouped into three categories: Re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyper arousal symptoms . The main treatment for this is psychotherapy or

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 7.7 million American adults and can also occur during childhood. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that stems from a recent emotional threat such as a natural, disaster, war, and car accidents. PTSD usually occurs from an injury or coming close death. A person who has experienced a past traumatic event has a heightened chance of being diagnosed with PTSD after a current trauma. PTSD can also be determined by looking at one’s genes, different emotions, and current or past family setting. Normally, when a person without PTSD goes through a traumatic event the body releases stress hormones, which in time returns back to normal; However, a person with PTSD releases stress hormones that do not return

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger this anxiety include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.

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