Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Implications For Brain
Throughout the course of this semester we have examined numerous issues which have all had different implications for the brain = behavior argument. Some who have been skeptical of the validity of this idea have been swayed by observations that processes and behaviors they originally thought to have a cloudy neurobiological basis in fact have a sound biological and physiological underpinning. One such phenomenon which can help elucidate the ongoing brain = behavior debate is Post-Traumatic Stress disorder, or PTSD. Most people are familiar in some sense with the phenomenon of PTSD. This phenomenon has been renamed, reworked, and redefined numerous times over the past
…show more content…
It is the goal of this paper to demonstrate that the phenomenon of PTSD, despite the fact that its multiple emotional and psychosocial effects are constantly being debated, is soundly rooted in neurobiology, and that this aspect of PTSD lends support to the notion that brain = behavior.
The general problem in the assessment of PTSD is that "Traditional psychotherapy addresses the cognitive and emotional elements of trauma, but lacks techniques that work directly with the physiological elements, despite the fact that trauma profoundly affects the body and many symptoms of traumatized individuals are somatically based" (2). Popular belief is that traumatic events affect an individual at the level of the I-function - that is, in the part of the brain responsible for cognition, emotion, and feeling. It is indeed true that the symptoms of PTSD can affect mood and the nature of interpersonal interaction. However, there is strong evidence that responses to trauma are rooted in neurobiological processes independent of the I-function, and have a somatic basis. As the above excerpt states, most treatment modalities focus on the non-somatic elements of PTSD, neglecting to recognize the important physiological effects that the disorder entails.
Dianthe Lusk, a character in Pauline Hopkins' novel Of One Blood, is
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.
"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)" plays an important role in providing information with regard to the disorder and thus makes it possible for readers to gain a more complex understanding of the condition. The article primarily documents the disorder's background, the prevalence with which it happens, and reasons why individuals come to suffer from the condition. By emphasizing that PTSD is practically the body's attempt to raise a person's awareness concerning the gravity of the situation that he or she has been in, the article makes it possible for readers to understand that one of the best way to fight the condition's harmful effects would be for the individual to acknowledge that he or she holds a great deal of power and that it is essential for him or her to make use of that power in order to improve his or her mental health.
This study uses secondary research in order to make connections between ideas and concepts that can illuminate the topic. Through search of databases and online book resources, the development of a rich foundation of resources can help to explore the subject matter. Using keywords to define the search, the literature can be used in order to determine how connections can be made between PTSD and TBI. Once the literature was accumulated and reviewed, the information from those works was put into context with the research questions and concepts were developed by creating connections between those works. This essay will therefore focus on the existing body of knowledge that has addressed the concepts of PTSD in details. Specifically, I would draw a keen and focused comparison or analysis between the effects of brain damage and the consequences or effects of PTSD, the level of damage and mitigative roles to combat the situation.
The in depth and thorough details of PTSD that Mr. Creamer provides in this article will be very useful in my writings, it also aids in the aspect of psychological treatment being a pro
Traumatic events also produce profound and lasting changes in physiological arousal, emotion, cognition, and memory. Moreover, traumatic events may result in the severance of these normally integrated functions from one another. Traumatized individuals may also suffer from the memories of the tragic or horrifying experiences they have undergone. Frequently, as a result of these many symptoms, it becomes inevitable for the individual to develop certain complications associated with trauma-related disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder.
It has been founded that forms both emotional trauma and disorders such as PTSD have a quite effect on human’s
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
At least 50% of all adults and children are exposed to a psychologically traumatic event (such as a life-threatening assault or accident, humanmade or natural disaster, or war). As many as 67% of trauma survivors experience lasting psychosocial impairment, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); panic, phobic, or generalized anxiety disorders; depression; or substance abuse.(Van der Kolk, et al, 1994) Symptoms of PTSD include persistent involuntary re-experiencing of traumatic distress, emotional numbing and detachment from other people, and hyperarousal (irritability, insomnia, fearfulness, nervous agitation). PTSD is linked to structural neurochemical changes in the central nervous system which may have a direct
Homemade explosives are the arsenals of choice by the terrorists not just around the world but also in their own backyards as seen in the recent war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thanks to the hard work of our Department of Defense, many of our soldiers are surviving these blasts due to improvements made to their uniforms and armor. Even though, we have been able to quickly identify and treat their visible injuries; we tend to overlook the more traumatic brain injuries and disorder these soldiers face when they return home to their families. However, the U.S. department of Defense and Veterans Health Administration have raised the awareness of promptly identifying the disabling symptoms of these injuries that may negatively affect the quality of life of our brothers and sisters that sacrifice their lives for our freedom. PTSD is a complicated disorder that affects veterans in general. The department of Veterans Affairs is devoted to provide the best care for our veterans that are diagnosed with this terrible disorder.
For many, PTSD is a big issue. Because of this, research has started to look at its causes. First to understand PTSD, one must examine the
The agent for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is trauma. Although most people will encounter a traumatic stressor at least once, and sometimes several times in their lives it is important to note that most people who experience a traumatic event will not develop PTSD (Breslau, 2007). Research shows that there is still controversy over whether or not PTSD symptoms really are caused by exposure to traumatic stressors, because all of but a few of the symptoms for the condition, could happen to an individual even when they have not experienced a traumatic stressor (Ford,
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
The expectation of these study was allowing the neural correlates of memories of childhood abuse to see if there was any different posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In any case with or without (PTSD). Indeed, there were a study about 22 woman with a pass history with childhood sexual abuse. They were monitoring their image of the brain function, while they were exposure to these agony. They compare these image with the women with sexual abuse and the women without sexual abuse; the women who suffer CSA has more blood flow into their brain and the women with PTSD. Women with sexual abuse has lower blood flow in alteration in their medical prefrontal cortex. Childhood sexual abuse is in regular to our society and it happen often than we thing it could happen it 16% of even women and it rarely faded, (Bremner, Narayan, Staib, Southwick, & al, e.
According to Roberts, in the 19th and 20th centuries most of the theories and research have been swung back and forth between the occasion and predisposition. It is found that the occurrence of PTSD is thought to occur either because of the existence of a mental illness due to the undesired circumstances affecting the memories of the victim, or because of the occurrence of similar events frequently (Van der Kolk and McFarlane, 2012).
This theory was formulated by Foa and Riggs (Foa, Cahill & Boscarino, 2005) and encompasses information about cognitive, behavioural and physiological reactions to an event. Information links these stimulus and response elements together after people have either experienced a traumatic event themselves or have witnessed another person experiencing the event. The perception of death or danger to one’s life can lead to a feeling of helplessness (Foa, Cahill & Boscarino, 2005). Among the types of events that may trigger PTSD are shootings, witnessing torture or being tortured, being in a traffic accident, being in a war, being raped, or suffering because of a natural or man-made disaster.