Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
What is PTSD?
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.
When and how was it discovered?
Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is sometimes considered to be a relatively new diagnosis, as the name first appeared in 1980, the concept of the disorder has a very long history. That history has often been linked to the history of war, but the disorder has also been frequently described in civilian settings involving natural disasters, mass catastrophes, and serious accidental injuries. The diagnosis first appeared in the official nomenclature when Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-I was published in 1952 under the name gross stress reaction. It was omitted, however, in the next edition in 1968, after a long
Post-Traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is on a rise in our country and expected to rise more in the coming years (Iribarren, Prolo, Neagos, & Chiappelli, 2005). PTSD is a psychiatric disorder than can result from the experience or witnessing of traumatic or life-threatening events (Iribarren, Prolo, Neagos, & Chiappelli, 2005). According to the Evidence based article examples of PTSD are terrorist attack, violent crime and abuse, military combat, natural disasters, serious accidents or violent personal assaults (Iribarren, Prolo, Neagos, & Chiappelli, 2005). PTSD has also been liked to possible exposure to environmental toxins such as Agent Orange or electromagnetic radiation (Iribarren, Prolo, Neagos, & Chiappelli, 2005).
Men and Women who served for their country should be given all respect and care when they return home. Veterans come home with injuries that can affect them from living a healthy comfortable life. Their injuries can be from physical to mental injuries like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from combat. Veterans who come home with these injuries should be provided, by the government, health care where they can live an enjoyable life. Having veterans take an alternative rout like qualifying for medicade could help a lot of these people struggling. Many of these veterans are also homeless and need help finding jobs. Government programs could be put in place that could help find jobs for the veterans. Veterans should be able to come home and life a healthy happy life where they can contribute back to there societies. Governments should provide for the needs of the veterans to keep them healthy and supply them with jobs so they have food, clothes, and shelter.
Over twenty veterans commit suicide every single day in the United States (Freking). Twenty lives taken off the face of this earth due to mental or physical hardships these veterans face each and every day. One of the largest contributors to this huge amount of unnecessary deaths is the silent killer that is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental disorder that develops when someone experiences traumatic events or other moments in which their life is in jeopardy. The effects of PTSD can leave one feeling alone, anxious, hopeless, and turn them into a lesser version of themselves. Roughly fifteen percent of veterans return from deployments in which they experienced combat with PTSD, thus amassing to over 400,000 soldiers from the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq alone (How Common Is PTSD?). Even though PTSD effects so many veterans there is not a lot of public knowledge or support for the fight to combat it. Due to the devastating effects that post-traumatic stress disorder has on our veteran population both the government and the public should provide the funding, support, and recognition that is needed to combat the disease.
When senior leaders in the United States Army get together with their subordinate soldiers and discuss potential and the importance of always being prepared for your mission, traditionally there is one soldier that is always brought up in the conversation. His name is Audie Murphy. He was a man so small that when he first attempted to enlist, the Marine Corps turned him away because he was too small. By the time he would finish his military career, he would be one of the most decorated war heroes in the history of the United States military, be battlefield promoted from enlisted to the officer ranks, be a tremendous spokesperson for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and his name would serve as the title of one of the most
Increasingly, the number of soldiers killed in battle but does not die because PTSD is increasing. PTSD without drugs or maybe, they can only use the method cognitive - behavioral, cognitive changes, effects on behavior. But that is not easy to do, because it is impossible overnight travel is able to shake off the memories of the horrors of war. There are people who have to live with it for life because it can come back anytime. Or they used antidepressants only moments to get peace of mind. They cannot shirk, cannot be dismissed because that is what the war returned to their lives.
Since September 1, 2001, America has been involved in warfare in the Middle East with over 2.2 million men and women serving in combat zones experiencing more tours, higher levels of perceived risk and more cultural integration within ranks than ever seen in history (Crocker, Powell-Cope, Brown & Besterman-Dahan, 2014). According to Clark-Hitt, Smith and Broderick (2012) 14% of returning veterans are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which they define as “an anxiety disorder that may occur following exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened”. In a military setting these events could consist of an environment of repeated bombing or threat of death, watching a comrade die, killing another human-being, even witnessing immoral violence on a daily basis. According to work done by Polusny et al. (2008) exposure to traumatic events can be a contributor to the perception of a lesser health status, an increase in physical health illness and increasing health care utilization and cost. Polusny et al. (2008) focused their research on the relationship between natural disaster trauma and physical health with a finding that natural disasters that produce PTSD symptom clusters do effect an individual’s physical health as well as the health care of the effected community for some time after said disaster. This paper however focuses on PTSD as it pertains to physical symptoms of American soldiers
America has participated in many wars since her birth as a nation. She has been known as a war machine, and the country thrives economically during these periods. The aftermath of war has affected each individual differently. Post-traumatic stress disorder is nothing new, yet it is now finally known as a condition that may not be treatable, however some has developed ways of managing it. Veterans from the Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts are in the spotlight now for suffering with this condition. Are the Vietnam Veterans offered the same care as the recent combat Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and does the timing of when PTSD interventions take place determine the outcome of the soldier? The conflict in Vietnam was a different war
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that people develop after experiencing something traumatic. In Santiago PN et al 2014, there is about 8.7% of people who have PTSD affecting their lives. Traumatic experiences include childhood sexual contact, extreme violence, rape, torture, war, and the loss of loved one. After someone experiences any of these events, fear often triggers PTSD. Fear causes split-second changes within the body as a defense mechanism to avoid any danger to the body. Instead, however, it does the complete opposite. The “P” in PTSD defines the word Post; Post is used when something happens after the moment has past. After the event occurs people start to show symptoms like having an aftershock from the main event.
More women are serving in combat in the United States armed forces than ever before, despite this, there is little research on combat PTSD in women and comparisons of PTSD among men and women as well as how PTSD presents in differing ways in women than to their male counterparts. Post-traumatic stress disorder – more commonly known as PTSD – is most commonly associated with veterans of war and was originally termed shell-shock which was seen as a side effect of war during World War II. Now, scientists understand much more about post-traumatic stress disorder and it has become a treatable psychological disorder. However, as with many other psychological disorders such as depression and schizophrenia, PTSD varies minutely between men and women. (Gilbert, Nock, Schacter, & Wegner, 2015, p. 599-600)
The military serves as a major component in our nation 's security. All people around the country continue to rely on them every day to defend our nation’s freedom. Without a doubt, the complex responsibilities of military members encompass large amounts of anxiety, selfless service, and occasionally, terrifying events that cause a negative influence on a person’s life. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious and tragic illness among members serving in our military. Mayo Clinic (2014a) defines PTSD as a " mental health condition that 's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it" (p.361). In certain circumstances, this is a daily experience for many members of the military, but more specifically, the significant impact it has on the groups of men that conduct patrols, air- raids, and a variety of other special operations in the most dangerous territories in the world.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that may develop after an exposure to a terrifying event in which physical harm occurred or was threatened. Usually, the anxiety may be brought on by an “exposure to an actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence “(American Psychiatric Association, 2013, pg. 271). Only recently have children and youth been deemed to have experienced PTSD and usually undergo therapy, medication and various treatment options to minimize the impact PTSD has on one’s life. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing the development of the disorder, how PTSD symptoms differ in children, treatment options, and a clinical case example.
“Even in times of trauma, we try to maintain a sense of normality until we no longer can. That, my friends, is called surviving. Not healing. We never become whole again ... we are survivors. If you are here today... you are a survivor. But those of us who have made it through hell and are still standing? We bare a different name: warriors.”
General, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a very severe and destructive mental disorder. If left untouched this mental disorder can lead to distressing effects on a person’s life. It is always very hard when someone has to go through a trying time or event, and justifiably problems arise from these events. The positive aspect to this mental disorder is that there are great resources available to patients, and there is a light at the end of this mental disorder’s tunnel. Someone can fully recover from this mental disorder and go on to function with stability in everyday life, consisting of a healthy future. It is my hopes as someone
Each year, over three million children and adolescents experience some form of traumatic event in their life (Ray, 2014). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a traumatic event (Hamblen, 2009). Some of the events that can cause children and adolescents to suffer from PTSD are natural and man-made disasters, violent crimes, rape, or murder of a parent, school shootings, motor vehicle accidents, severe burns, exposure to community violence, war, peer suicide, and sexual and physical abuse. A social worker must assess the biopsychosocial development and other theories to implement an effective plan to evaluate the needs of the individual.
Post-traumatic stress disorders also none as PTSD. In 1980 the American psychiatric association added PTSD to the third edition of its diagnostic and statistical manual of mental diagnostic nosologic classification scheme although controversial when first introduced the PTSD diagnosis has filled an important gap in psychiatric theory and practice from an historical perspective the significant change ushered in by the PTSD concept was the stipulation that that the etiological agent was outside the individual traumatic event rather than an inherent individual weakness traumatic neurosis they key to understanding the scientific basis and clinical expression of PTSD is the concept of trauma. The formulation a traumatic event was conceptualized as catastrophic stressor that was outside the range of usual human experiences. The framers of the original PTSD diagnosis had in mind events such as war, torture, rape, natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcano eruptions and human made disaster such as airplanes crashes, and automobile accidents they considered traumatic events to be clearly different from the very painful stressors that constitute the normal vicissitudes of life such as divorce, failure, rejection, serious illness, financial reverses, and the like by the logic adverse psychological responses to such ordinary stressors would be characterized as adjustment disorders rather than PTSD this dichotomization between