Psychological Analysis: Post Traumatic Stress Disor

A traumatic event affects many people in various ways. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a globally recognized disorder that is common among persons who have experienced traumatic events, but is also known as a normal response by normal persons in abnormal situations. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can be caused by a multitude of reasons, not just from traumatic events. People with various personality traits can be associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. People who suffer from poor health can also be associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. People who suffer various life occurrences such as rape, natural disasters,

This paper explores post-traumatic stress and how it is seen as a disorder. Post-traumatic stress can manifest into post-traumatic stress disorder. The evaluation and review books and articles seem to reveal a relation to these symptoms and military member, either active or non-active veterans. These symptoms do not manifest strictly into the full-extent of the disorder in all cases of military, however, things such as depression and other physical symptoms are discussed through the readings. The end result is that we discovered that through the readings PTSD will in fact lead to suicide if left untreated.

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.

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.

The DSM 4 requires that certain criteria be met for a person to be diagnosed with PTSD.

“My mind is on fire as I fear that any second, another enemy round will rip into my body and finish me off” (Johnson 2). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) effects the lives of many soldiers after returning home from war. PTSD is a psychiatric condition described in the DSM-IV as, a condition that requires a specific event to have occurred as a criterion for the diagnosis. The criteria for this disorder, according to the book Combat Trauma, can include flashbacks, times where you feel as if you are reliving the traumatic event, shame or guilt, upsetting dreams about the traumatic event, trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, feeling emotionally numb or not feeling at all, anger or irritability, poor or destructive relationships, self-destructive behavior, trouble sleeping, memory problems, hallucinations, not enjoying activities you one enjoyed and feeling as if you no longer know who is living your day-to-day life.

It was not until the 1980’s that the diagnosis of PTSD as we know it today came to be. However, throughout history people have recognized that exposure to combat situations can have profound negative impact on the mind s and bodies of individuals in these situations. But there are other catastrophic events that can have such profound impact on people resulting in PTSD…

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

Before PTSD became an official diagnosis, various other traumatic stress syndromes such as dissociative flashbacks and survivor guilt were used as criminal defenses for both violent/nonviolent crimes as well as a basis for successful insanity defenses. Initially PTSD raised concerns about its potential misuse in criminal courts, however, there were certain incidences where PTSD was found to be a legitimate phenomenon. Case in point, New Jersey v Cocuzza (1981). In this case, the defendant was a Vietnam veteran who was found not guilty for reason of insanity when he assaulted a police officer. Mr. Cocuzza’s defense was that at the time of the incident, he believed that he was attacking enemy soldiers. His claims were supported by the officer when he testified that Mr. Cocuzza was holding a stick as if it were a rifle.

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

(Rosenthal, J. Z., Grosswald, S., Ross, R., & Rosenthal, N. 2011) Veterans presenting with symptoms of PTSD will often engage in behaviors which can be dangerous for themselves, their families and socity. Lack of effective treatment can place the veteran at increased risk for drug and alcohol abuse or dependence, suicide ideations or attemps, and bouts violence toward others. (National Center for PTSD, 2010) PTSD can occur anytime anytime one has have been through the experience of a traumatic event. PTSD has been referred to by many names in past years such as post-combat disorders, shell shock, post-traumatic stress disorder, disordered or heavy heart, and war neurosis. In DSM-I PTSD was referred to as ‘‘gross stress reaction’’ this was the name of the diagnoises given to those individuals who had suffered combat exposure, and their minds had become psychologically altered. It was very helpful to have a name to the sympotms of military or civilian individual that had been exposed to combat exposure, ex-prisoners of war, and rape victims. This term had also been helpful in diagnosing Nazi Holocaust

Before PTSD became an official diagnosis, various other traumatic stress syndromes such as dissociative flashbacks and survivor guilt were used as criminal defenses for both violent/nonviolent crimes as well as a basis for successful insanity defenses. Initially PTSD raised concerns about its potential misuse in criminal courts, however, there were certain incidences where PTSD was found to be a legitimate phenomenon. Case in point, New Jersey v Cocuzza. In this case, the defendant was a Vietnam veteran who was found not guilty for reason of insanity when he assaulted a police officer. Mr. Cocuzza’s defense was that at the time of the incident, he believed that he was attacking enemy soldiers. His claims were supported by the officer when he

I believe that Mr. Wertz has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, a person must have had to have be exposed to an actual or life threatening event. Mr. Wertz, during his first tour witnessed the death of a fellow soldier, who was killed by an enemy soldier. Following that, he killed the enemy soldier. During his second tour, his unit was under daily bombing attacks. Both events were traumatic and stressful, and either one would qualify him as being exposed or almost expose to life threatening event. A person with PTSD will also avoid stimuli associated with the trauma. Mr. Wertz no longer goes to the shooting range, which was an activity that he used to enjoy. Other symptoms of PTSD include hyper arousal symptom and intrusive symptom. To be diagnosed with PTSD a person must have symptom for more than a month. Mr. Wertz has hyper arousal symptoms. He jumped went the fryer made a loud cracking sound and took cover, believing it was enemy gunfire, and he always feels on edge. He has intrusive symptoms. He has been having recurring nightmare about his time on tour two to 3 time a month, with one recurring nightmare involving him and his unit taking on enemy gun fire. Lastly, his dreams have been occurring for 2 months. It is state that his dreams have been occurring over the last to month, however it does not say how long loud noise have been affecting him or how long he has been avoiding negative stimuli like the shooting range. This makes me

Morris states that PTSD is often thought of as being a syndrome of remembering things too well. He adds that “the ones who ‘forget,’ they suffer later” (Morris 35).

My service comrade is a veteran who has been diagnose with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with Diarrhea which is a Gulf War Illness (GWI)/ Chronic Multi-symptom Illness (CMI) secondary condition associated to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We talk about how we have served our country and now to be treated like a refugee looking for a hand out. When we only want what any solider wants to receive compensation and to live a normal life without all the stressful problems of fighting yet another war to get your benefits from the VA. A common diagnosis among us Persian Gulf and Iraq veterans in which this veteran has been diagnosed. His PTSD has exacerbated his chronic sleep disturbances causing chronic joint pain, chronic hypertension and chronic migraine headaches associated with abdominal pain and irritable bowels from discomforting confirmed diarrhea. There were multiple instances of stressful and a depressing state of longstanding abdominal and joint pain that we talked about that occurred as a result the GWI and CMI conditions. He discuss has daily fatigue due to restless nights of aggravated sleep in which these some of the same problems I am experiencing as symptoms of chronic sleep apnea.