Symptoms And Symptoms Of An Traumatic Stress Disorder

Good Morning Gentleman and Ladies – I appreciate the DA giving me an opportunity to speak to you. I have read the background information on your specific case. Today’s presentation will present on overview of the research concerning false memories and how such findings could apply to this particular case. I will then outline some situations that are known to increase the likelihood of false memories and end with strategies that may reduce the occurrence of false memories

1) The problem of a witness recall of memory based on psychiatric intervention- the evidence of which is unreliable

Previously known as irritable heart and battle fatigue, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has been around since the history of stressful events themselves. First discovered in the 1600’s as nostalgia, it was usually left untreated as it was seen as a sign of weakness in men. In the early years of diagnosis’s, PTSD was most commonly present in soldiers due to their always present high stress situations.

, peri- and post-trauma factors which influence the likelihood of PTSD. A history of prior

Many people experiencing P.T.S.D. experience it as a result of seeing a loved one injured or killed (Regehr 676). By seeing his brother Allie die of Leukemia at the age of 11, Holden experiences trauma. According to studies, the degrees of symptoms depend on the proximity of trauma exposure and the number of which one is exposed to (676). Holden’s trauma was very severe because it was his brother, who he was very close to, that passed away. In addition to experiencing his brother’s death, Holden also encounters a boy, James Castle, who jumps to his death while wearing Holden’s sweater (Salinger 170). Holden has been faced with two traumatic events in his life, one involving a person very close to him, therefore, this significantly increases his risk of P.T.S.D.

“ Emotionless, that’s how I feel. Devoid of everything held dear. Changes neither perception nor direction, no matter how far or near. I go back to the things I know in the vain hope that it will lift me, breath life into me, give me a rush, help me and fill me. Nevertheless, what is left? I am emotionless that is how I feel.”

Many of the war veterans who came home from the Vietnam War came home with PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event- either through experiencing it or witnessing it. Although it happens most to those who serve in the military, it can happen to anyone who goes either goes through or witnesses a traumatic event at any point in their life. There are many signs and symptoms that can let others know if someone has PTSD so they can be treated in the appropriate manner. There are many causes of this mental health condition and as a result of advancements in our medical system; there are different types of treatments for this condition, depending on the cause of your PTSD. I have heard many stories from those who have this condition and that probed me to choose this topic in order to learn more about this mental condition that plagues those who have it and hopefully I can learn different ways in which I can help those who have this mental condition.

People have trouble remembering their own address and the current year. A scary event that is often recorded is forgetting a loved one that lives with them in the same household and mistakes them as a stranger. Some other indicators are forgetting information that is already stored in their long-term memory, for example something significant such as details about themselves and their family members. Difficulty remembering significant details still comes and goes, however; it is not permanently lost at stage

“A growing body of research has explored the relationship between traumatic events and subsequent cognitions. For instance, survivors sometimes exhibit self-blaming thoughts and guilt about actions that they did or did not engage in during a traumatic incident” (Resick, Rabalais, Sobel, 2009). The impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has left me at times on an emotional rollercoaster ride of distress. PTSD has caused me to have irrational thoughts and guilt of life itself. In the early stages of my diagnosis of PTSD, I felt ashamed of what happened to me. I pushed people away especially, the ones that I loved and who loved me. I found myself becoming secluded from the world around me and the people in my life. PTSD can bring on many transitions of disorders if left untreated. According to Dr. Mathew Tull, a PTSD specialist has stated that “PTSD and social anxiety disorder (SAD) commonly co-occur” (Tull, 2016). I emotionally withdrew and became extremely anxious to be around people for the fear they would not understand me or judge me. I would also fear to have a panic attack in a situation I could not control my emotions. “You may also experience fear of appearing anxious or acting in a way that will bring about embarrassment or humiliation. Moreover, your upcoming contact with a feared situation almost always causes anxiety, maybe even in the form of a panic attack “(Tull, 2016).

Mr. Sayid Al Jarrah was honorably discharged from the US military after having a near death experience (i.e., being shot and injured) during his service in the War in Iraq (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder—PTSD Criteria A1). Sayid reports experiencing flashbacks and frequent intrusive thoughts of his time in war (PTSD Criteria B1 and B3) while also experiencing difficulties sleeping (PTSD Criteria D1), remembering all aspects of the traumatic event (PTSD Criteria C3), and maintaining a job. Furthermore, Mr. Sayidreports avoiding stimuli associated with the traumatic event (PTSD Criteria C1), disinterest in previous enjoyable activities (PTSD Criteria C4), and feeling disconnected from others (PTSD Criteria C5) including his wife and child during which, at times, he reports having irritable or angry outbursts (PTSD Criteria D2) or retreats to his gun collection in his garage. Mr. Al Jarrah has been experiencing distress from these symptoms for two years (PTSD Criteria E and F) and meets the diagnostic criteria for chronic PTSD, as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA, 2000).

Post-traumatic stress condition is a disorder that grows in a number of people who have had a visual experience or at a certain point of their lives they had lived through a scary, dangerous or a shocking event. Events that can lead to the posttraumatic disorders include warfare, terrifying road accidents, sexual assault, and any other event that may pause a threat on an individual’s life. Majority of individuals who had gone through traumatic events normally have low chances of development of posttraumatic stress disorder.

The timing of the trauma treatment for the client could potentially have a great impact on the diagnostic focus of treatment. The treatment may occur at the onset of the traumatic experience or after a delayed activation of PTSD symptoms. In some cases “reactivation or exacerbation of post-traumatic symptoms may be triggered by anniversaries of the traumatic events” (Kluft, Bloom, & Kinzie, 2000, p. 4). The treatment might occur immediately after the event or begin many years later.

The symptoms of PTSD vary greatly, they may present as involuntary recurrent fear-based memories, dreams, or flashbacks of the traumatic event that are intrusive and disturbing (DSM-5, 2013). Or PTSD might present as withdrawal from normal activities as a measure to avoid distressed memories or social reminders of the event. Post-traumatic stress may even display selective memory, or distorted cognitions of the traumatic event. Some PTSD patients present to be extreme pessimists, having negative beliefs about themselves and the world around them. They may have persistent negative emotions or have frequent anger outbursts. The patient may lose interests in activities they once enjoyed. Some experience

In contrast with repression theory, which asserts a special nature to traumatic memories, false-memory theory argues that trauma encoding and recall is no different from other emotional memories. Given that traumatic events such as CSA are highly memorable, people who claim to be unaware of it for so long must be mistaken. In particular, false-memory theorists are skeptical of memories that emerged through hypnosis, guided imagery, or suggestive interview questioning – all of which are methods used by repression theorists in order to recover the “repressed memories.” Instead of attributing the lack of recall to repression due to trauma, it is possible that these memory problems are due to typical forgetfulness, failure to encode an experience, or deliberate avoidance and reluctance to recall the event, all of which could be easily confused with an inability to remember the trauma. (McNally et al)

may cause a person to be more susceptible to invasive memories such as ADHD, damage to the prefrontal cortex, or depression. Moreover, even if episodic memory is impaired, “conditioning and perceptual fluency associated with the experience may remain”, (Anderson) for example, producing fear of something without deliberately recalling