Sam's Case Study: Post Trauma

Over the last 6 years I worked with Veterans that have been diagnosed with PTSD. I have seen symptoms of this diagnosis play out in a variety ways. This experience has only fueled my passion to want to become more educated and experienced on the topic so that I can better service to Veterans. I also believe that becoming better educated on the topic will allow me to dispel some of the myths associated with PTSD. As discussed in class, before the accept into the DSM-3 in 1980 service member that experienced symptoms of PTSD were seen as unfit to handle the psychological casualties that came with the War. They were often viewed as weak and were forced back on the battlefield despite showing clear indicators that the fatigue that comes along with battle had begun to affect their daily lives. After the mainstream acceptance of PTSD in 1980 many active duty service members and Veterans still had a hard time proving to the VSA that they were indeed suffering from PTSD. Over time there has been a mainstream acceptance that many Veterans as well as other populations may suffer from PTSD. The mainstream acceptance of PTSD has the ability to offer hope to those that are affected by the

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,

Several different factors can contribute to how a person responds to a traumatic stressor and scientist and theoreticians have found other factors can determine individuals who are more likely to develop PTSD when exposed to a catastrophic event. These factors can include their past exposure to trauma, their mental health history, their families’ history of psychological problem, age, gender, biological makeup, social network, as well accessibility to mental health treatment facilities.

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.

Anyone can suffer from PTSD, but more veterans go through events leading to PTSD in comparison to the general population, due to what they have to endure during a deployment. Patients often relive the traumatic event through flashbacks and nightmares. They often have trouble sleeping and separating there self from the traumatic event or events that has taking place in their life (Iribarren, Prolo, Neagos, & Chiappelli, 2005). There are stages as to how PTSD develops. After the person has experienced the traumatic event the often will become estranged and detach themselves from others. They can then suffer from depression, problems with memory and cognition and may turn to substance

“ It terrorises me at night. If you have a nightmare where your friends are being blown up, you relive these things over and over and over again.” These are the words from Pte Leroy Risi who was stationed in Afghanistan and is now struggling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jump anxiety, or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience. Another war vet Vaughan Cook who also has PTSD states, “ I had very high levels of aggression, anxiety, paranoia. Then I got heavy on the drinking, two liters of whisky a day. I’ve done some bad things. I’ve self-harmed.” PTSD is a serious anxiety disorder that needs to be acknowledged, and PTSD does not only affect war vets, but millions of Americans across the country. PTSD appears to victims of accidents, disasters, and violent and sexual assaults. The biological process behind PTSD is that the limbic system increases susceptibility, by immersing the body with stress hormones repeatedly and repeatedly as images of the traumatic experience emerge into consciousness ( David G. Myers 639). PTSD patients often feel alone and vulnerable, and that no one can help them. Withdrawing from society and suicide are sadly the common outcomes if PTSD are not helped and treated.

PTSD affects nearly 60% of men and 50% of women. Annually, 5.2 million adults suffer from PTSD. 20 out of 100 Veterans who served in Iraq suffer from PTSD, and 15 out of every 100 Veterans who served in Vietnam suffer from PTSD (5). However, PTSD is not limited to veterans; These symptoms contain negative changes in thinking and mood, including negative feelings about oneself or others, inability to experience positive emotions, and feeling emotionally numb, and changes in emotional reactions, including angry outburst, aggressive behavior, guilt and shame, and self-destructive behavior (1). Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, discussed by Pete Walker in Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving: A Guide and Map For Recovering from Childhood Trauma, is a more severe form of PTSD, which contains emotional flashbacks, toxic shame, self-abandonment, inner critic, and social

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a deeper mental problem than being anxious and jumpy. Veterans who have PTSD lose themselves as people. PTSD is one of the most common health issues among military personnel who served in a combat zone. When families have a loved one serving in combat zones, they fear that their soldier may not return home or will have a serious physical injury. But unlike the feared physical injuries, PTSD is not a visible wound, it is an injury of the mind. The PTSD will take a part of their loved one away, the veteran will not be at emotional or social. This disorder is an incurable mental condition caused by a traumatic event or events in person’s life. The soldiers who have PTSD have no way to get rid of

Sufferers of PTSD often discover that it can be hard to live with. PTSD can mean anything from a night, few months, to a lifetime of misery. People with it complain of at most unbearable states of psychological arousal. People with PTSD feel like theyre going crazy and sense that they aren't the same person as before (Butler 2). This passage suggests that PTSD can last a variety of time with misery. In terms of the impact on the family. Many find PTSD hard to deal with. "Six weeks after being raped, Vaneg Ziegenmayer was so afraid at night that her husband had to escort her from the bedroom to the bathroom (Butler 2)." This example suggests that it takes a lot of work to deal with PTSD. Socially speaking, one of the primary effects of PTSD is on war. After World War 2, Most psychiatrists considered aiding returning soldiers to integrate into society primarily for enemies and the local community (Pols 7). This evidence suggests that they need help getting back into society. In conclusion, looking at all 3 of those things is important because to know how it affects people who have it or see people with

PTSD in America’s Military is a silent obstacle that must be overcome by not only the veterans suffering from the disorder, but also by the American people. To discuss how Americans deal with PTSD, we must first understand what it is. PTSD stands for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, as defined by the Department of Veteran Affairs PTSD “is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.”(Department of VA). PTSD is a mental disorder that causes people to not behave as they normally would, due to them being “haunted” by some traumatic event that occurred. Some symptoms include: “recurring memories or nightmares of the event, sleeplessness, loss of interest, and feelings of numbness, anger or irritability, or being constantly on guard”(Make the Connection). These symptoms can lead to difficult, and even damaging problems to arise that affect not only the person suffering PTSD, but also those around them. Some of these problems include, but are not limited to, “feelings of hopelessness, shame, despair, depression, substance abuse, pain, and social difficulty.” (Department of VA). These problems lead to more problems, and if left untreated long enough can lead to even death. As you can see, PTSD is a debilitating disorder, that must be faced by veterans and Americans alike.

PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is an ailment of the mind that occurs when the brain experiences or witnesses a life-threatening event. This includes military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, physical or sexual abuse in adulthood and childhood, or the threat of murder (source and shit). Those who have this disorder suffer from re-experiencing the trauma (including intrusive thoughts of the event, nightmares and flashbacks) emotional arousal (easily irritated, trouble sleeping, and jumpy behavior), emotional numbness, and avoidance of people, places, and activities that remind them of the trauma (ADAA source). For those who develop this disorder, life can become a struggle

Ever since Jack was a little kid he wanted to join the army. He enlisted and after several years in 2007 his deployment went out to the battlefield in Iraq. Jack was one of the few survivors from his unit. Once he came back home he wouldn’t talk about what he saw and what happened. Back at home he became more distant and towards his family and kept quiet. It seemed like he wasn’t even there. In the middle of the night Jack would wake up screaming and from nightmares from the war. These are just some of the symptoms for PTSD in soldiers but are only somewhat small compared to others. To understand PTSD, first, one must comprehend the disease and how it effects the victim along with how its currently being treated.

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) often happens as a result of living through something shocking or horrific. It's natural to experience stress in response to something traumatic, and an overabundance of this emotion can cause deeper, long-lasting issues that require treatment. Though veterans are typically what we envision when this disorder is called to mind, they are far from the only ones who develop it. In order to better understand this problem, it's important to have an understanding of what different occurrences can trigger it. Only then can we be on our way to helping sufferers recover from it.

PTSD is associated with changes in brain function and structure and these changes provide clues to the origins, treatment, and prevention of PTSD. Some cases may be delayed, with only subtle symptoms showing up initially and more severe symptoms emerging months after the traumatic event. The event only needs to be traumatic to that person, it can be exposure to war, fire, car accident, abuse, natural disaster, witnessing a traumatic event, or loss of a loved one. Although most people who go through trauma will not get PTSD, the are more likely to develop PTSD if they were directly exposed to the trauma as a victim or a witness, were seriously hurt during the event, went through a trauma that was long-lasting or very severe, believed that they were in danger, believed

If someone has a loved one or friend who is struggling or may be on the brink of developing PTSD there are two important key factors that can provide more help in determining if the person has it or not. These factors are called risk and resilience factors and they are able to determine who is more likely to develop PTSD and provide different actions that can be used to reduce the risk of developing PTSD. Some risk factors include living through a dangerous event and trauma, history of mental illness, witnessing the death of a person, the feeling of horror, helplessness, extreme fear, and having little to no social support from family and friends. Some resilience factors include seeking support, support groups, coping strategies, feeling good about one’s own actions in face of danger, and being able to act and respond effectively despite felling fear ( What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 4). These factors are very important and can act as a guide to help anyone who has PTSD and any family or friend who has