Ptsd

Because not every traumatised person develops PTSD, researchers are still trying to understand what causes, and increases, the risk of developing PTSD. So far, most of our knowledge of PTSD comes from war survivors, people who lived through concentration camps, and victims of combat from WWII, Korean and Vietnam wars (Bootzin & Ross 1988, p.176). Based on research to date it is believed that PTSD is caused by a combination of several factors including social, biological and psychological and each help contribute to our understanding of the disorder.

PTSD is defined as an "anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or happens to you” (United States). In these types of events one can feel that they are not in control of what is going on around them and may feel helpless or in great danger. The Department of Veterans Affairs has listed various life threatening events that can evolve into PTSD. These events include but are not limited to "Combat or Military exposure, child sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents, such as a car wreck, natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake” (United States).

PTSD is considered one of the newest diagnoses, but the notion has been around for years. The APA defines this disorder “as an anxiety (emotional) disorder which stems from a particular incident evoking significant stress (Chu, 2011).According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat (Wilson & Keane, 2004). The history of this disorder is usually centered on wars that have occurred over the years which had left many combat veterans tormented by the events that happened. Although PTSD was first publicly revealed in its connection with military war veterans, it also was recognized in victims that suffered from rape, robbery, torture, captives, wrecks/crashes (plane, car, boat, or any other type of vehicle involved), and natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes). These events are not the normal experiences that are exposed to the human race (serious illness, divorce, and other downfalls of life) which most people were capable with coping with the stressors that came about from such ordinary events (Chu, 2011). Every one that is exposed to some type of traumatic event or events doesn’t develop PTSD which is one of the reasons it was confronted with doubt and dismissal from the general community. Before PTSD was accredited, many people were under the impression that those who were affected (showing the symptoms of PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event (National Institute of Mental Health [NIH], 2016). It is said that the psychic trauma that an individual suffers after the shocking experience causes the inner agency of the mind to lose its ability to control the disorganizing effects of the experience, and disequilibrium occurs. Many traumatic events can cause PTSD, like combat exposure, child sexual abuse or physical abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents, or natural disasters. However, not everyone that suffers a traumatic event may develop PTSD. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2016), it is not yet clear why some people develop PTSD and others do not. Many factors influence on whether or not an individual will develop the disorder, such as: how intense the trauma was or how long it lasted. Whether or not the individual was injured or lost someone important to them. How close the individual was to the event. How strong their reaction was. How much the person felt in control of the events, or how much help and support the person received after the event (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). PTSD is not exclusive to adults only, children can also have the disorder.

It is also estimated that approximately twenty percent of these people progress and develop PTSD. One out of every nine women are diagnosed with PTSD which makes them about twice as likely as men to suffer the effects. Prior to PTSD being a clinically diagnosed disorder, our military personnel returning from various wars throughout history were said to be suffering from “shell shock”. Soldiers experiencing this displayed behavior related to having difficulty adjusting the life after combat. The first-time PTSD was identified as a disorder was the result of the Vietnam War. Our soldiers were finally diagnosed correctly and the term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was first spoken. Currently, mental health providers such as psychiatrists and psychologists can attempt to understand people’s response to these traumatic events and help them recover from the impact of the trauma. Although the disorder must be diagnosed by a mental health professional, symptoms of PTSD are clearly defined. To be diagnosed with PTSD, you must have been in a situation in which placed you at risk for death, serious injury, or sexual violation. Traumatic, life-threatening events leading to PTSD must have been witnessed or experienced in person, and not through media, pictures, television or

Symptoms must present themselves in a certain way within a certain period of time and for a certain duration to be considered PTSD. Another criterion is how much of an impact the condition has on the patient’s everyday life. The cornerstone symptom of PTSD is re-experience of the trauma. This means the person is plagued with unwanted memories of the event that so badly scarred him. These memories can come in the form of nightmares, flashbacks, and recollections. In each of these instances, memories of the event suddenly and unexpectedly flood the sufferer, and he feels like he’s experiencing it all over again. This can be triggered by a cue, or it can come unbidden. The person’s brain releases chemicals as if he is experiencing the trauma, creating a fear response that’s both physical and mental. Re-experience is one of four main symptoms of adults with PTSD. The other are Avoidance (The person will go out of his way to avoid being reminded of the trauma.), Numbness (In response to the pain created by the haunting memories, the person may seek out anything that can keep it away, including alcohol and drugs.), and Hyperarousal (A state of continuous heightened awareness.). The tricky part in diagnosing the disorder is that, after a trauma, most people experience the same symptoms as those of a person with PTSD. The difference is that these symptoms fade on their own over

Freedom bears a heavy price. Many soldiers pay with their lives, while others relive the sights, sounds, and terror of combat. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects thousands of American veterans and their families each year. Is PTSD simply a weakness, or is it an epidemic? Though historically, the validity of PTSD was argued, the pain is real, and there is a diagnosis to prove it.

There is not one person that is exclusively safe from the risk of becoming a casualty to Posttraumatic Stress. Everyday in our lives we step out into a world with endless dangers around each corner, yet to think about each possibility would consume the mind so much so that the quality of one’s life would diminish. Every time we get into a car, walk in an elevator, or leave the tranquility of our beds, we are risking becoming the victim of a direct incident, or being held by repercussions from that incident. These repercussions can come in the forms of nightmares, flashbacks, mood swings, depression, lifestyle changes, and even suicide. Every career carries with it the dangers of becoming victim to PTSD, which is why researching specific causes

PTSD can affect all kinds of people in many different situations. People who have repeatedly experienced severe neglect or abuse as an adult or as a child, severe repeated violence or abuse as an adult, such as torture or abusive imprisonment and even police, fire fighters or ambulance workers are also likely to suffer from PTSD as they often have to deal with horrifying scenes. The most common person suffering from PTSD are soldiers returning from war that may have been be shot at or blown up, and most likely has seen friends killed or injured. People who suffer from this illness usually can show symptoms immediately or as soon as weeks to a few months from the traumatic event that happened.

Even though traumatic experiences were first discussed in the context of patients with hysteria , which had both psychological and somatic symptoms, by Freud, William James, and Pierre Janet, it was not until World war I that trauma was identified as a factor in mental health disorders by the professional mental health community. (Herman, 1997).Post-traumatic Stress Disorder was first incorporated as a diagnostic category by American Psychiatric Association in DSM-III In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association included posttraumatic stress disorder as a diagnostic category in the DSM-III (1980), the first time that trauma was

In the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) it gives certain criteria to be met in order for someone to be diagnosed with PTSD. For instance, an individual must have had an experience to where their own or another person’s well-being was in jeopardy. Also, the individual must have had a response of feelings of intense fear, helplessness or horror (1994). Losing their grip on reality they may not be able to separate the real from unreal and they might develop dissociate amnesia. Re-experiencing and hyperarousal are further criterions according to the DSM. All of these symptoms may lead to a negative impact on the individual’s life.

It is where a loud noise can instantly trigger a memory and the patient has an immediate response. Last of all the criterion is the duration. To determine if the diagnosis should be PTSD, symptoms must occur for a specified amount of time. In the first formula set in 1980, the duration was six months, which has now been cut to one month in the revision (Friedman). These criterion help psychologists determine if someone has PTSD and what sort of treatment to pursue.

To be diagnosed with PTSD, the patient must have been exposed to an actual or threatened death, injury, or other form of violence, and have at least one intrusive and persistent symptom following the event for a period greater than one month (DSM-5). And the intrusive symptom must present as significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other form of functioning (DSM-5). Trauma the key factor to diagnoses is clearly defined as including, “exceptional, life-threatening or potentially life-threatening external events and those associated with serious injury, which are capable of causing a psychological shock in practically any individual to a greater or lesser extent” (Frommberger et al. 2014). Frommberger and colleagues note that studies have shown that traumatic events contribute to other psychological illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, substance abuse, and psychosis, which makes a distinctive diagnosis difficult. Seventy percent of all chronic PTSD patients have been found to have at least one other psychological comorbidity (Frommberger et al. 2014). There are other potential sources of error in the diagnosis and treatment process, such as feeling of guilt may lead the patient to conceal problem symptoms, thus the diagnostic criteria may not be met. Or during trauma-focused therapy, the patient consistently maintains avoidance, thus exposure measures will be ineffective (Frommberger et al.

PTSD is a syndrome that develops after a person is involved in, sees, or hears of a severe and extreme traumatic stressor. The person reacts to the stressor helplessness, fear, avoidance of things that remind them of the event, and may persistently relive the event (APA, 2000). PTSD is a disorder that is often associated with combat veterans, but can also be experienced by civilians undergoing extreme traumatic stress. This paper reviews the history,

PTSD is characterized by 4 groups of symptoms that impair functioning: intrusion symptoms, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop following exposure to 1 or more traumatic events such as deliberate acts of interpersonal violence, severe accidents, disasters, or military action (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Guidelines recommend that the routine use of brief screening instruments should be considered for people who are at high risk of developing PTSD which is anyone who has suffered trauma. These guidelines also recommended the use of a brief screening instrument when it is known that a person has had a traumatic experience.