Abstract Individuals that show to have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are significantly affected both mentally and emotionally due to the exposure to a traumatic event. PTSD is a life-long disorder that is being seen diagnosed more and more among returning soldiers and sexually-violated individuals. Because of its increased detection, the importance of constructing effective treatments for individuals living with PTSD is becoming increasingly recognized. Although effectively treating PTSD has shown to be rather difficult and complicated, there have been potential breakthroughs, and a large amount of research is still being devoted to discovering treatments for this disorder. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature that …show more content…
The first criterion, exposure to a traumatic event, is central to PTSD. One has to be exposed, either directly or indirectly (e.g. learning about a traumatic event), in order for them to acquire PTSD. Only being exposed to a traumatic event is not enough to acquire this disorder, though, indicating that the acquisition of this disorder is associated with both environmental and genetic causes. The rest of the criteria for PTSD are direct consequences of this first criterion (Friedman, 2013). Intrusion symptoms are those such as recurring memories, dreams, and flashbacks of the traumatic event that are distressful and unwanted. Intrusion symptoms also include psychological and physiological responses when exposed to reminders of the traumatic event (Friedman, 2013). Avoidance symptoms are the avoidant actions an individual takes to counter the intrusion symptoms. Since these intrusion symptoms are of a distressful nature, an individual might consistently and determinately attempt to avoid all things (memories, dreams, flashbacks, environmental reminders) related to the traumatic event (Friedman, 2013). The fourth criterion, negative alterations in cognitions and mood,
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is “a mental condition that can affect a person who has had a very shocking or difficult experience and that is usually characterized by depression, anxiety, etc.” (Merriam-Webster’s, n.d.) Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur after seeing a dangerous event such as war, hurricanes, car accidents, death of a loved one, and violent crimes. It can affect a victim mind, body, and the people around them. While some mental disorders are genetic, this disorder come from the things that people encounter in life. This paper will discuss the risk factor involved with post-traumatic stress disorder as well as treatments that will help overcome it and future research and approaches to treat this psychiatric illness.
a. The current thought about evidenced based practice is that it can be useful if the evidence is good and been proven to work. Just like any other new thing in the medical field it has many criticisms but they have been debunked on the basis of underlying misinformation or misunderstandings. One of the problems with evidence based practice is human judgement, when picking out which evidence to use it can be influenced by a decision maker 's biases and political interests. Another problem with evidenced based practice is that some of the EBP out there does not meet the requirements of scientific evidence.
This can happen in one of four ways. The first way is direct exposure, or being the person responsible for another's death. The second is witnessing it in person. The third is indirect, as in learning a family member was exposed to this trauma. The fourth way is repeated or extreme indirect exposure to traumatic events, such as first responders to an accident. Criteria B is known as the intrusion symptoms, where the event is relived in one of the following five ways. The first is recurrent memories, most of them involuntary. Next is traumatic nightmares about the event, and its details. The third way is through dissociative reactions, also known as flashbacks to the event, and can occur in brief flashback episodes to full loss of awareness to their surroundings. Number four is prolonged stress due to the event, and the last way is physiological reactivity after the exposure of a traumatic event. Criteria C is called avoidance, where you exhibit one of the two following symptoms. You will either have thoughts or feelings related to the trauma or physical reminders of the traumatic event, such as people, places, or things. Criteria D is negative changes in moods or comprehension, that have worsened after the event, and has seven symptoms. The first one is the inability to recall key details of the event or the day of the event, this is sometimes referred to as dissociative amnesia. Second is
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.
This consists of constantly thinking of the trauma of the event, having flashbacks, and having nightmares.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD has been one of the most critical issues for military veterans for decades. Most veterans who deployed have seen or experienced traumatic stressful events which can eventually develop to PTSD. They might not recognize the symptoms of the PTSD. They might not know how to react to the situation and how it can affect them in the long run. Since some of them may not know the symptoms of PTSD; therefore, they might not even know that they have PTSD. On the other hand, those who do know, might keep it to himself or herself secretly and never let anyone know about it. Later on, these symptoms start to get worse and worse and it, finally, is too late to treat these veterans. There are several treatments out there for PTSD. Therapists can use the cognitive psychology to help veterans with PTSD by using cognitive therapy. Cognitive Processing Therapy is one of many therapies that can be used to help veterans to overcome PTSD. Cognitive psychology is a new version of functionalism which was influenced by Gestalt psychology and structuralism and he main perspectives of cognitive psychology focus on the importance of cognitive process or intellectual process, for example, opinion, memory, thinking, and language (Lahey, 2012). Cognitive Therapy can treat PTSD by helping veterans to understand its symptoms, change the way of thinking, and better cope with PTSD.
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
The new DSM 5 identifies “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” via firsthand experience, observing or seeing others go through the traumatic experience, hearing about a traumatic incident that significantly affected a family or a friend, and direct repetitive exposure or re-experiencing of the traumatic event or details of it (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Anyone of these situations can trigger the onset of PTSD and the symptoms can be very debilitating even life-threatening not just to the individuals with the disorder but to those around them.
Re-experiencing an event occurs in different ways. First, a person may have disturbing recollections of the traumatic event consciously while awake or unconsciously in a dream state. Other events may occur to trigger symptoms and the affected person may dissociate while reliving the traumatic moment or moments. The layman’s term, “flashback”, defines the common re-experiencing event where a person feels as though he or she is reliving the trauma (Kulkarni et al., 2011; Norman, 2000; Owens, Baker, Kasckow, Ciesla & Mohamed, 2005).
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 (PTSD) is described as “a psychiatric disorder that results from the experience or witnessing of traumatic or life-threatening events (“Evidence Based PTSD,” 2005). PTSD has come to light a great deal as of late because of the troops returning home from the two war fronts that United States are currently fighting on. Today’s soldiers return home with not just physical scars, but return home with severe emotional scars as well. It’s important while conducting research into such an issue like PTSD that it’s done in a fashion that does not upset or overly excite the patient in the study. Patients or people with PTSD can be very anxious, angry, on edge, and sometimes closed and not too personal. In order to understand how to run a study on such an illness, it is important that you understand what would be considered unethical and ultimately who can be harmed from the study.
PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it is a mental health condition triggered after a traumatic event such as war, assault, or disaster. Most anyone who hears the acronym PTSD thinks about veterans or soldiers coming back home. Not only is PTSD common within soldiers but within children who have gone through traumatic events. PTSD was first recognized in 1980 and was added to the American Psychiatric association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, they are not provided the treatment and therapy to recover and heal. People don’t consider the psychological impact traumatic events may leave.
Emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder majorly affects people who have witnessed a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. Any event that involves death, serious injury, threat of death, or violence can be traumatic to a person. PTSD has many side effects, including; dissociation from the self, avoiding feelings, feeling guilt or blame, loss of interest in hobbies, aggressive or reckless behaviour, feeling jittery, and always being alert for danger. Many people suffering from PTSD seek drugs or alcohol to find some relief. Another major symptom of PTSD is experiencing nightmares and flashbacks to an event. A Canadian Veteran describes PTSD in a simple way, “some things you will never unsee” and he states how he often experiences vivid flashbacks of the event (What is PTSD, 2015, September, 23 ). The Canadian Mental Health Association states, “thoughts of the event can seem to come out of nowhere. People often avoid things that remind them of the event” (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2016). Often people avoid driving if the traumatic event was a car crash, or avoid certain tastes or smells that trigger the flashbacks, but what happens when the place you feel the need to avoid, you work in everyday? For first responders all over the country, this is a reality that they have to live through. Due to the nature of their work, first responders are twice as likely to suffer from PTSD than a person working in a different occupation, and because of stigma, they are often too afraid or
A physical indicator of this type of symptom is nightmares in which the individual relives the event. Re-experiencing symptoms are often triggered by a sound, sight, or event that causes the individual to relive the initial trauma. For example, triggers might include a seemingly trivial occurrence such as hearing a car backfire which could resurface memories of gunfire for a combat war Veteran, or seeing a car accident which can remind a crash survivor of their own accident (Friedman, 2007). The second type of symptom frequently occurring in individuals with PTSD is avoiding situations that serve as a reminder of the initial event. Individuals with this symptom may choose to purposely avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the initial traumatic event (Friedman, 2007). For example, a person who underwent a devastating earthquake may avoid watching television shows or movies involving earthquakes. Also these individuals may simply attempt to stay extremely busy to avoid having to think or to talk about the traumatic event that occurred. The third type of symptom most often experienced by individuals is emotional numbness (Friedman, 2007). Often victims of PTSD find it difficult to accurately express their feelings. Consequently, not only is it easier for these individuals to avoid expressing their feelings, but it also allows them to avoid memories of the catalytic event. Individuals