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. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder develops after an individual experiences a traumatic event involving intense fear or witnesses another person experience a traumatic event. Although PTSD was first only related to war veterans, murder, rape, natural disasters or any other life-threatening situations can also cause a person to develop PTSD. A person …show more content…
Many scientists have been turning to genes that may have a role in creating fearful memories for an explanation as to what causes PTSD. They have also been studying different areas of the brain that control fear and stress such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. The amygdala has a role in the early stages of learning to fear and not to fear certain situations. The prefrontal cortex is said to help control the extinction of long term fearful memories. An individual genetics, brain area growth, and other environmental factors play a role in the risk of the individual developing PTSD after a traumatic …show more content…
Re-experiencing the traumatic event can come in the form of nightmares, night terrors, frightening thoughts and/or flashbacks. Nightmares can be a dream in which the individual feels like he or she is reliving the event or it can be an entirely different event that only reminds the person of the traumatizing event. Flashbacks are reliving the event over and over again and can produce other symptoms such as a racing heart and excessive sweating. Any reminders in the persons everyday life can trigger re-experiencing symptoms. Staying away from certain places, people, or activities that are reminders of the event is an avoidance symptom. Feeling lack of emotions and/or a strong sense of guilt, stress and depression are also an avoidance symptom. In some individuals tend to avoid the fact the event happened in the first place which causes difficulties remembering the entire event. Hyperarousal symptoms are not triggered by any reminder of the event but are constant instead. Angry outbursts, tenseness, and being easily agitated can make everyday tasks much harder for the individual to do. Some people who have developed PTSD may not show any symptoms for weeks after the
Individuals suffering from PTSD will also avoid certain places or objects that could open up the floodgates to bad memories. Also, those individuals tend to suppress emotions and feelings that are connected to the trauma. Jumpiness or being easily frightened is a common and easily recognizable symptom that falls under the category of “arousal and reactivity;” trouble sleeping and bouts of anger also have a home there. The final grouping lists four symptoms: difficulty recalling important facts about the trauma; thinking negatively towards oneself or the world; having feeling
Research has indicated that people who have experienced and extreme amount of stress or traumatic event sometimes have a smaller hippocampus region of the brain in adults with chronic PTSD and early childhood trauma. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory. The reduction in size may be caused by a combination of the environment and genetics (NARSAD.com). People who are diagnosed with this disorder are more likely to have trouble with relationships, smoke cigarettes, abuse drugs and or alcohol use. If PTSD is left untreated it can have devastating lasting effects.
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.
What is post-traumatic stress disorder? When most people think of the term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) they think of war and returning soldiers. Even though this is true, post-traumatic stress disorder does not only develop in soldier’s returning from war. When you look at the definition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), you will see that it is a mental health condition that is triggered by either experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. This means that post-traumatic stress disorder can be developed after any traumatic event or experience that one has gone through.
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.
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.
With the traumatic events causing PTSD come the reactions people will experience after a traumatic event. Nightmares associated with the incident, flashbacks, problems with sleep, and being jumpy are just some of the reactions people will have associated with their incident. The reactions will vary from one person to another and may not even be noticed until several months after a person returns from war. "Some go through a
The current criteria of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has changed since the DSM-IV. In the DSM-V, the diagnostic criteria draws a clearer line when detailing what establishes a traumatic event. The DSM-V pays more attention to the behavioral symptoms that accompany PTSD and proposes four distinct diagnostic clusters instead of three. They are described as re-experiencing, avoidance, negative cognitions and mood, and arousal. Re-experiencing is the spontaneous memories of the traumatic event, recurrent dreams related to it, flashbacks or other intense psychological distress. Avoidance refers to distressing memories, thoughts, feelings or external reminders of the event. Negative cognitions and moods represent endless feelings from a
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.
Post-traumatic stress disorder also known as PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder is developed from a scary, dangerous or shocking events. For example, a soldier exposed to a near death experience or a scary event overseas could cause that person to be diagnose with PTSD. Also another example, could be someone in Miami experiencing a category 5 hurricane and have everything taken away from them. Research on OEF/OIF Veterans suggests that 10% to 18% of OEF/OIF troops are likely to have PTSD after they return. In addition to PTSD service members are also at a higher risk of developing other mental health issues. Post-traumatic stress disorder is very real and life threating in some cases.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) results from experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event (Eerford et al., 2016). Individuals who are diagnosed with PTSD experience intense distress and reoccurring symptoms,
The amygdala appears to be active in dear acquisition, or learning to fear an event, as well as in the early stages of fear extinction or learning to not fear” (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Also researchers have studied and delved into the effects of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain that is involved in tasks such as decision-making, problem solving, and judgment. “For example, when [the PFC] deems a source of stress controllable, the medial PFC suppresses the amygdala--an alarm center deep in the brainstem that controls the stress response” (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). “PTSD is not diagnosed until at least one month has passed since the time a traumatic event has occurred” (Joseph Goldberg, 2014). If the doctors see the symptoms of PTSD they will then go ahead and evaluate the patient by performing a complete medical history form and then physical exam follows. The next step is for the patient to be sent a psychiatrist, psychologist, or another medical health professional to help the patient treat his or her mental illness.
There are numerous different mental disorders that people are diagnosed with on an everyday basis. Some mental disorders are genetic, but yet other disorders come from the things that people encounter in life. One mental disorder that is being diagnosed more often every day is called Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. This is a disorder that does not discriminate based on genetics, race, age, or even sex. This mental disorder occurs due to events in a person’s life. As everyone knows it is natural for humans to feel fear and be cautious in a dangerous time or event. (Placeholder1) This natural human reaction is called “fight-or-flight” response, and is a healthy reaction a person has that prevents a person from harm. (Placeholder1)When
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
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