Post Traumatic Stress Disor: A Case Study

Psychological Analysis. When an individual is diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), multiple criteria must be addressed which I will elaborate in the document. When Mr. Wertz was deployed to Iraq in the infantry division, he witnessed the death of a comrade and in his second deployment he had many mortar attacks fulfilling criterion A of PTSD. Conclusively, there was a presence of a trauma while in the army when Mr. Wertz witnessed the death of soldiers in his division. Mr. Wertz recounts having nightmares about his combat. The nightmares are described as reoccurring for the duration of two months. The dream described is Mr. Wertz and his unit being barricaded in a house and being fired at directly;

Today, 42.5 million Americans suffer from a mental illness. There are many different types of mental illnesses that affect over half of the population. Some are more severe than others, but still equally important. Two of the common disorders you hear about today are Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Twenty veterans a day take their own lives in this nation. Suicide among military veterans is a tragic epidemic in our country. Out of every 100,00 veterans, 3.53% commit suicide; however, for every 100,000 civilian adults only 1.52% take that same drastic action (Thompson). A man by the name of Peter Kaisen from Islip, NY was denied treatment at the Northport VA for mental health issues. He was upset that he was turned away for treatment so he went directly to his car outside the VA and shot himself in the head (Rebelo). Multiple tales such as this graphic suicide are happening across the country. I felt this shockwave when my close friend and team leader, Corporal Christopher J Carter took his own life by crashing and burning alive in his car. His suicide was another demonstration of failing to receive the proper treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A veteran commits suicide every 72 minutes, this is a problem fueled by the incompetence and difficulty of receiving treatment by the Veterans Health Affairs, a negative stigma that causes veterans to suffer silently from their mental issues, as well as a failed preventative approach on stopping destructive behavior before it’s too late.

Moral Injury is found commonly with PTSD patients, though they are not the same thing, they do tend to appear together. (Ghaffarzadegan, 2016) underscoring the importance of trans- gressive acts in understanding veterans’ mental health. Additionally, shame and guilt (key mechanisms in the moral injury model) have been associated with more severe PTSD among samples of Vietnam War veterans (Beckham, Feldman, & Kirby, 1998; Currier et al., 2014)” (Frankfurt, Sheila, Frazier, Patricia) Clinical and empirical work has begun

PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a disorder that occurs when someone has had something scary or dangerous happen in their life. In this disorder, it is natural for the person to feel scared during and after the situation they were in. In this disorder fear is triggered and changes in the body help defend them against danger, this response is healthy to protect this person from harm. Anyone with a reaction after trauma usually recovers, but those who continue may be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.. People with PTSD might feel scared even when they are safe and out of harm. People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have symptoms for longer than one month. They cannot function as well as before they did before the tragic event.

It is natural for humans to feel fear when in danger. Humans rely on a “fight or flight” response, which prepares the body in defense against danger. However, people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have a damaged response to danger which causes them to feel fear even when there is no longer any danger. There is a wide range of causes for PTSD along with many different medications and treatments.

The disconnection from reality is one of the symptoms in the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is one of the disorders that co-exist with substance abuse. According to Wormer and Davis (2013), “According to Veterans Administration (VA) studies, 76% of homeless veterans experienced alcohol, drug, or mental disorders during the past month of the survey (CSAT, 2004)” (p. 463).

According to Webster, Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychological reaction occurring after experiencing a highly stressing event (as wartime combat, physical violence, or a natural disaster) that is usually characterized by depression, anxiety, flashbacks, recurrent nightmares, and avoidance of reminders of the event —abbreviation PTSD (webster, 2003).

​Gulf War Syndrome is a chronic multi symptom illness affecting 250,000 of the 697,000 1991 Desert Storm Gulf War veterans. Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans may also suffer from this syndrome. The Veterans Administration “refers to these illnesses as “chronic multi symptom illness” and “undiagnosed illnesses”. We prefer not to use the term “Gulf War Syndrome” when referring to medically unexplained symptoms reported by Gulf War veterans. Why? Because symptoms vary widely” (Gulf War Veterans Medically Unexplained Illnesses, 2016). The illnesses included in this syndrome are: chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, functional gastrointestinal disorders, and undiagnosed illnesses including fatigue, cardiovascular disease, muscle and joint pain, respiratory disorders, headaches neurological and psychological problems, and sleep disorders.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) evolved from when man first experienced trauma at the beginning of time. In 1980, PTSD was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) for the first time. (Friedman n.d.) This was a paradigm shift made by the American Psychiatric Association, because for the first time the causative factor was an outside influence rather than an inherent source. The diagnosis of PTSD cannot be made without the criterion on of a “stressor” or catastrophic life event. Individuals have different copying mechanisms. This explains why some individuals do not develop PTSD, while

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a widespread disorder that affects certain individuals psychologically, behaviorally, and emotionally following the experience of a traumatic event (Lee et al., 2005, p. 135). However, because of inconsistencies regarding the percentage of individuals who experience PTSD and the percentage of individuals who subsequently develop PTSD, researchers hypothesize that both biological and environmental factors contribute to the development of PTSD (Wolf et al. 2010, p. 328). In order gain a better understanding of this disorder and to discover contributing and predicative factors which contribute to the development of PTSD, this paper analyses the historical context and prevalence of PTSD, the

successfully balance a military career and family life. This is a very realistic and relatable

This evaluation based off an article and sums up that efficiency as well as ways in which treatment for military personal with PTSD is associated with counseling and medication and now they are testing with pet rescue dogs. With counseling, this helps you to understand your thoughts and discover different ways to cope with your feelings, which has shown to be effective for treating PTSD. There are several different medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which help military personnel feel less worried, stress, or sad. These types of therapy have shown to be effective as well as this new rescue dog program, although, this program is just taking off;

A soldier can develop and show signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that may cause behavioral changes and can wreak havoc with the body’s defense system. A soldier can develop both short-term and long-term behavioral/psychological problems because of PTSD. A soldier can have any one of the following problems; stomach upset, chest pain, breathing difficulties, frequent headaches, and night sweats. Along with weight gain, frequent constipation,

Veterans who have been deployed to combat display high levels of emotional distress and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (). Consequently, the exposure of traumatic events relates to issues that impact the veteran by a wide range of mental health problems (). The VA offers a vast majority of mental health services, however there are particular interventions that are not offered because there aren’t enough medical practitioners certified or exposed to certain therapies. With respect to the patient, this paper will discuss an unsuccessful treatment plan that would have prosper had the veteran underwent an alternative route of interventions. Although a medical team is following the veteran, his PTSD symptoms are worsening and affecting his