Ptsd Essay

With the recent release of the popular movie and book American Sniper, much attention has been drawn to the effects of the disease of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on its victims. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental illness from going through a traumatic experience, is more prevalent in veterans and men currently serving in the military, and it is important that effective treatment be sought.

Larry Watson suggests that traumatic experiences transform children into adults, and that disturbing experiences lead to changes of mind, growth in morals, and an emerging sense of adulthood.

Today, hundreds of thousands of service men and women and recent military veterans have seen combat. Many have been shot at, seen their buddies killed, or witnessed death up close. These are types of events that can lead to Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic. “) Anyone that has gone through a traumatic event can be diagnosed with PTSD but research shows, military men and women are more susceptible to having PTSD (PTSD: A Growing Epidemic.) And, with little help from the US, many Veterans do not get the help they need or get treated for PTSD. Military men and women begin to

One example of Boricevic Marsanic and their colleagues is, “Children of male veterans have a higher chance of attempting suicide” (Boricevic Marsanic et. al.).This quote explains how the disorder affects children who may never have a traumatic experience in their life. The disorder has mental effects on all the people associated, the veteran, their family, friends, everybody. Another example of how PTSD affects children and teens is “The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in trauma survivors has been linked with family dysfunction and symptoms in their children, including lower self-esteem, higher disorder rates, and symptoms resembling those of the traumatized parent” (Mellor et. al.). Mellor and the other authors of this article in an Australian magazine express how children tend to have more problems internally. The quote also states how the children may even have symptoms the parent with PTSD had, which means that it could cause problems for the child without them even having a traumatic moment in their

The study of psychology refers to collective trauma as the effect experienced by many people in the aftermath of a tragedy or event. The pain of collective traumatic disorders is common among soldiers who experienced military combat, but has the potential to affect an entire community. Although, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can alter relationships with the family and the community, future generations will not have to endure combat directly to experience collective trauma. Many Veterans suffering from PTSD might shy away from others due to stigmas associated with the diagnosis. Some might have difficulty concentrating, or have guilty feelings, cannot find work, feel helpless, fearful, or have a loss of interest in usual activities. All

Recently, studies have taken place to identify whether the major periods of changes in the realms of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social arenas coupled with post-traumatic stress can lead to long lasting negative consequences in the individuals’ lifespan. Whether the stress can negatively impact the

As we learn more about the cause and effect of PTSD we can better equip ourselves to help those in need. It is a process that has a clear beginning but an unclear ending. A person who can function normally for many years after seeing combat may find it increasingly difficult to sit in a classroom day after day. With raising awareness on not only the severity but the scope of impact of mental health disorders it can eliminate the stigma of weakness and get these men and women who have put themselves second much of their lives the help they

1 in 8 returning soldiers suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Soon after returning home, family members start noticing a change in the soldiers. Most are in denial about having PTSD. What they need to know is that the earlier that they can get help, the better off they’ll be. With so many suffering, where are all the treatments? Even though some soldiers would abuse the treatment provided for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, American Veterans need to be provided with the proper treatment for it.

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

Since the Post 9/11 Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have ended, there has been a plethora of veterans, returning back home to the United States. Out of the thousands of veterans who were exposed to combat during their deployment, many of these soldiers experienced Acute Stress Disorder, which later turned into (PTSD) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, after one month of their condition not being treated (Yehuda & Wong, 2000). What makes matters worse is that many of these veterans, who endured PTSD, fail to receive treatment for their disorder, which later led to other detrimental issues, including other psychological disorders, child abuse, divorce, substance abuse, suicide and job loss. In fact a study

PTSD can affect people in different ways due to the circumstance they went through, for example, “a young woman gets mugged and hit over the head with a pipe. Years later, she is still afraid to go out at night by herself. She has trouble making friends and she is slow to trust people. She has gotten several warnings at work for missing days; sometimes she just can’t seem to get out of bed. A former soldier, when he finally sleeps, finds himself back on the dusty roads of Afghanistan. He awakes in a panic and struggles futilely to return to sleep. Days are hardly better. The rumble of garbage trucks shatters his nerves. Flashbacks come unexpectedly, at the whiff of certain cleaning chemicals. He is imprisoned in his own mind” (Brainline,

It is natural for a person to experience worry after a disturbing event. According to Junger it is nearly impossible to not react to a traumatic event. “Almost everybody exposed to trauma reacts by having some sort of short-term reaction to it--acute PTSD” (Junger 80). Most people are able to recover at a rate much faster than war veterans, even though many rape instances may have been significantly more traumatizing than the aspects of the war. This is related to the fact that rape victims do not wish to retain any of their memories, while war victims have many positive aspects of the war. “Treating combat veterans is different from treating rape veterans don’t have this idea that some aspects of their experience are worth retaining” (Junger 81). Comparatively, the war veterans do have a lot of negative experiences, but they also have many great experiences of camaraderie with fellow soldiers. Many soldiers were able to form lasting relationships preceding and during the war, but after the war had trouble forming new relationships. This resulted in the implementation of service dogs to help transition soldiers back to society again. “In this regard, reporters' media accounts of the experiences of veterans with PTSD and the general public's social media response comments were subjected to a triangulated

Military Pathway (2013) concluded “Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult”. Hence, it is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war environment often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper provides a historical perspective of PTSD affecting soldiers, and how this illness has often been ignored. In addition, the this paper examines the cause and diagnosis of the illness, the changes of functional strengths and limitations, the overall effects this disease may have on soldiers and their families, with a conclusion of

Before 9th grade, I never thought about mental illness and how it affected me. I believed my heart beating out of my chest from a simple social encounter happened to everyone. Last year, I was formally diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, a sprinkle of OCD, and severe depression. There’s a lot more, but I have yet to find a definite answer from a professional. I’m supposed to be taking Prozac and going to therapy but screw that. Contrary to what many people think, PTSD comes from various different traumatic experiences, not just war. Sometimes PTSD stays for a little bit, and other times it’s a lifetime of terror.

Just by simply looking at the definition of the word trauma there is almost an unspoken understanding that trauma is going to change a person. When put into a position where a person feels they are in extreme danger, this is bound to change the person. We are not machines, once we experience something that frightens us we are bound to not attempt it again. People develop fears or problems which they did not have before such event. These problems can be minor, or extremely serve all depending on the person's past. As a child, I must had been around the age of ten, I always wanted to be a vet. I had an extreme interest