Symptom Josh Case

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.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder also known as PTSD is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event, either experiencing it or witnessing it. When one experiences PTSD, symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event (Mayo Clinic).

“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.

PTSD, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develop PTSD. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life.

The symptoms of PTSD, while generally not life threatening, can be very distressing and have serious effects on a person’s health and well-being. There are three classes of symptoms related to PTSD, re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyperarousal symptoms. The re-experiencing symptoms are generally flashbacks, bad dreams and frightening thoughts. These symptoms are produced from the persons own thoughts and can be triggered by anything reminding them of the experience. The second classification of symptoms are called the avoidance symptoms and they include staying away from places and other objects that remind the person of the experience, as well as feeling strong guilt, depression, worry, emotional numbness, and a loss of interest in the world around you. The final classification, hyperarousal symptoms, includes being easily startled, feeling tense, having angry outbursts, and insomnia. These symptoms are

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can produce emotional responses caused by the trauma endured during combat operations. It does not have to emerge immediately, but can actually happen weeks, months, or even years after the traumatic event. PTSD was often referred to as “combat fatigue” or “shell shock” until 1980 when it was given the name post-traumatic stress disorder. According to

The origin of the disorder is from the car accident and how scary and frightening it was for him, but according to the diathesis stress model, genetics may be responsible for the way he reacted, some people are more resilient than others. As with all other disorders, the patient brings in their own biological and psychological vulnerabilities with us. The greater the vulnerability, the more likely they are to develop PTSD. He responded in expected way but many would say he could have touched more lives if he didn’t give up his own. He could have gone to therapy and worked through his feelings and decide to volunteer or give to charity.

PTSD emerges in response to an event that involves death, injury, or a threat of harm to a person. Symptoms of PTSD

There are four main signs to know that a person is dealing with PTSD. The first symptom of the disorder is reliving the event. Whatever frightening event occurred to cause the disorder can be relived over and over. These memories may come from nightmares or flashbacks. They are capable of occurring extremely often. However the flashbacks do not usually come about on their own. There is most likely something called a trigger that forces the person’s brain to relive the traumatic event. The person may see, hear, or smell

The symptoms of PTSD make every day civilian life difficult for many Veterans. The disorder can affect a person’s ability to work and interact with their environment and those around them.

Ryan is a 27 year old male, normally an outgoing and fun-loving guy has become detached and emotionally flat due to the horrendous incident of his fiancé. His fiancé, a beautiful woman whom he has been dating for the past 4 year, was knocked down by a drunk driver 3 months ago right before his eyes. Ryan has withdrawn himself from playing his guitar, going out with his friends and all other activities he once used to enjoy. He still vividly remembers the horrific event of his fiancé’s death and how helpless he was when she died in his arms. Ryan is suffering from nightmares involving the scenarios of the incident, along with sleep disturbance. He has been traumatised by the death of his fiancé and often finds himself reliving the whole incident. He finds it difficult to visit the location of the accident and therefore has avoided the entire area of town. As a result, he had to quit his job as the location of the incident and his workplace are in the same area of town. Ryan is showing sadness and depressive symptoms since the traumatic event, which according to Bowlby (1980) is a normal response to any unfortunate situations or in the loss of a loved one. Dependent upon Ryan 's symptoms, it is reasonable to say that he meets the DSM-V criteria for posttraumatic disorder (PTSD; APA, 2013). As the incident took place 3 months ago, Ryan is currently on the threshold between acute and chronic phases of PTSD, the DSM-V criteria

The symptom that most acutely describes the mental condition is recurring flashbacks of the event that triggered the PTSD originally.

Individuals with PTSD persistently re-experience their traumatic event in their thoughts, perceptions, imagery, dreams, illusions, hallucinations, and flashbacks. They may experience intense physiological distress or reactivity to cues of the traumatic event. These individuals persistently avoid any stimuli associated with the traumatic event and use other mechanisms to cope with any situation or cue that recalls or contradicts their emotional or cognitive responses to the traumatic event (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). Individuals with PTSD also experience persistent symptoms of increased arousal, such as irritability and difficulty concentrating. These disturbances can cause significant distress in social life, the work place, and family systems. According to the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV-TR), in order for individuals to be diagnosed with PTSD they must experience disturbances and symptoms for more than one month (2000). Symptoms can be specified as acute (less than 3 months), chronic (3 months or more), or with delayed onset; in which onset starts 6 months after the actual stressor (DSM-IV-TR, 2000).

A little background: PTSD is a psychological disorder formed from traumatic experiences that involves physical harm or the threat of physical harm that make the person feel stressed or frightened when they are no longer in danger. Signs and symptoms of PTSD can be grouped into three categories: Re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyper arousal symptoms . The main treatment for this is psychotherapy or

Seedat explains that “the disorder represents a pathological response to a traumatic event, characterized by symptoms of recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event (e.g. nightmares, a sense of reliving the experience with illusions, hallucinations, or dissociative flashback episodes, intense psychological or physiological distress at exposure to cues that resemble the traumatic event)” (Seedat, 2013). Seedat also states that other symptoms could be such things as avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma that you have experienced “(e.g. inability to recall important aspects of the trauma, loss of interest, estrangement from others)” (Seedat, 2013). Seedat mentions increased arousal as other PTSD symptom. This could include “(sleep disturbances, irritability, difficult concentrating, hypervigilance, and exaggerated startle response)” (Seedat, 2013). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) includes other symptoms that are characterized by cognition and mood of the individual. Seedat states that in order for an individual to be diagnosed