Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) Essay

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.

PTSD is listed among a group called Trauma-and-stressor-Related Disorders. For a person to be diagnosed with PTSD, they must have been exposed to, witness, or experience the details of a traumatic experience (e.g., a first responder), one that involves “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” (APA, 2013, p. 271). (PRU, 2016, p. 66). The aforementioned definition of PTSD relates to soldiers; the manifestations and causes experienced with traditional PTSD can look somewhat different. Obvious causes of PTSD in soldiers stem from exposure to stressful circumstances within combat, exposure to the suffering and death of others, destruction, personal danger, and injury. A study on Vietnam soldiers provides insight on less obvious causes of PTSD. The study suggests

The disorder did not become more common until it was affecting the veterans at war who are haunted by the tragedies of war. “PTSD did not become an official disorder until the American Psychiatric Association added it to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-III in 1980.” (Friedman) The DSM-III is a criterion for the classification of mental disorders that was first published in 1952. In today’s world, it is known as the DSM-V. PTSD in the DSM-III was classified as an anxiety disorder. However, today PTSD is now diagnosed as a trauma and stressor-related disorder. What we know now about PTSD is that under the classification of trauma and stressor- related disorder, a person must be exposed to a life stress related event to cause the disorder. What we also know now about PTSD is that it can occur in one of four ways: “direct exposure to trauma; witnessing trauma in person; learning a close friend or relative experienced trauma (indirect exposure); and repeated or extreme indirect exposure to aversive details of the event”

The symptoms of PTSD are sometimes known only to the victim themselves, nonetheless wreck havoc on the person and his life. A myriad of symptoms are exhibited by victims of PTSD, with most barring the victim from their normal lives. The Clinician's Guide to Medication for PTSD states that there are four primary symptoms: intrusion (examples include nightmares, unwanted thoughts of traumatic events, and flashbacks), avoidance of things that include triggers of the traumatic event (such as places, people, and conversations), negative alterations in cognitions and mood (examples include distorted blame of self or others for the traumatic event, negative beliefs about oneself or the world), and alterations in arousal and reactivity (examples include angry, reckless, or self destructive behavior) (Jefferys). These symptoms can be identified early; however, often these behaviors chalked up to nothing more than anger management issues. The symptoms of PTSD are sometimes ignored; however, once recognized and treated, these symptoms often fade, which is why early diagnosis is so pertinent.

3-7) These symptoms fall into the requirements of the DSM-IV-TR (text review) that defines the cause of PTSD as “the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others. The person’s response involved intense fear, hopelessness or horror.” (McClay, 2012

It contains the accepted triggers of posttraumatic stress disorder, which are experiencing or witnessing the traumatic event, learning that it occurred to family or a close friend and finally being repeatedly exposed to the details of the event. The experience then has to cause distress and impairment within the affected individual’s life and if the symptoms of PTSD last more than a month the disorder is considered chronic (“Posttraumatic Stress Disorder”,

psychologically changed (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2012; Satel, 2011). Peterson et al. (2011) reported that combat-related trauma is the second leading cause of PTSD in men. In this section, diagnostic criteria, assessment, and interview protocols related to PTSD are discussed. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fourth Edition – Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR, American Psychiatric Association, 2000) outlined criteria for the PTSD diagnosis and defined it according to its symptoms, duration, and the nature of the trauma. According to the DSM-IV-TR (2000) Criterion A must be met in order for a PTSD diagnosis: “the person experienced, witnessed or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as “a development of characteristic long-term symptoms following a psychologically traumatic event that is generally outside the range of usual human experience” (Nordqvist, 1). Simply put, it is a type of anxiety that affects a patient after a traumatic

There are three symptoms a patient must exemplify to be diagnosed with PTSD. These symptoms are re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyper-vigilance. Re-experiencing symptoms are where the PTSD patient will relive the traumatic event through flashbacks, nightmares and memories. A certain sight, smell, sound, or feeling the person gets at a random point throughout their day that could remind them of the traumatic experience is what can tigger these helpless reoccurrences. Some flashbacks can be so extreme that the person loses all their senses and only can see, hear, or smell what they felt at the time of the accident. They are no longer aware of the real world and cannot tell the difference of what is real and what is not (Thomas )

There are several factor that contribute to a diagnosis of PTSD including childhood emotional problems, lower socioeconomic status, prior mental disorders, and genetics. For example, if a woman had low self-esteem prior to being raped, she will have an increased likihood of being diagnosed with PTSD. This is due to the fact that she is already emotionally impaired and may not have the coping skills to overcome the trauma on her own in comparison to a woman with high self-esteem. “Impaired functioning is exhibited across social, interpersonal, developmental, educational, physical health, and occupational domains” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 279). According to the DSM-5, there is a high probability that a person diagnosed with PTSD also has at least one other mental disorder. As a result, paying close attention to comorbidity will be important when considering a PTSD diagnosis and the best course of treatment.

Diagnostic criteria for PTSD includes a history of exposure to a traumatic event that meets specific stipulations and symptoms from each of the four symptom clusters included in the DSM-5: intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and activity. The sixth criterion concerns duration of symptoms; the seventh assesses functioning; and, the eighth criterion clarifies symptoms as not attributable to a substance or co-occurring medical condition.

In addition, (D) negative alterations in cognitions and mood associated with the traumatic event, such as inability to remember an important aspect of the traumatic event, persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about oneself, others, or the world, persistent, distorted cognitions about the cause or consequences of the traumatic event, persistent negative emotional state, markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities, feelings of detachment or estrangement from others, and persistent inability to experience positive emotions are another criteria of PTSD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Lastly, (E) marked alterations in arousal and reactivity associated with the traumatic event (irritable

The DSM criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder include; “exposure to a traumatic event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, a threat to the physical integrity of self or others, and a response that involves intense fear, helplessness, or horror. The second criteria for PTSD is a re-experiencing of the traumatic event in one of more of the following ways: recurrent and intrusive memories, nightmares, acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring, intense physical or psychological distress when exposed to cues that are somehow related to the traumatic event. Also there is a persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and general emotional numbing. There is also persistent

Individuals with PTSD persistently re-experience their traumatic event in their thoughts, perceptions, imagery, dreams, illusions, hallucinations, and flashbacks. They may experience intense physiological distress or reactivity to cues of the traumatic event. These individuals persistently avoid any stimuli associated with the traumatic event and use other mechanisms to cope with any situation or cue that recalls or contradicts their emotional or cognitive responses to the traumatic event (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). Individuals with PTSD also experience persistent symptoms of increased arousal, such as irritability and difficulty concentrating. These disturbances can cause significant distress in social life, the work place, and family systems. According to the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV-TR), in order for individuals to be diagnosed with PTSD they must experience disturbances and symptoms for more than one month (2000). Symptoms can be specified as acute (less than 3 months), chronic (3 months or more), or with delayed onset; in which onset starts 6 months after the actual stressor (DSM-IV-TR, 2000).

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