The major depressive disorder that I chose for my final paper is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or more commonly known as PSTD. This is a very complex disorder and effects men, women, and children alike. Most people associate PSTD with servicemen or women returning from defending our country. However, statistics show these people do experience PTSD, they are not the only people this disorder effects. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a reaction a person has after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic, life changing event. This a relatively new disorder to psychologists, along with the causes and treatment plan. Due to the external trauma a person has experienced, PTSD is very complex and unique, making it a very different disorder to study and treat. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder involves a series of symptoms that develop from intensely fearful, horrific, and uncontrolled trauma where the person felt like their life was in danger, they were injured or they felt they would be injured, or they witnesses a death or injury to others. Although the majority of the population will be) affected by trauma at some point in their life, the impact of these experiences will vary from person to person, due to a person’s family characteristics, environment, and available formal and informal resources accessed. According to the DSM-5, the symptoms include: a) re-experiencing the traumatic event through intrusive memories, flashbacks, nightmares, and psychological responses
intentionally or subconsciously changing your behavior to avoid scenarios associated with the event or losing interest in activities you used to enjoy
Morris states that the worst things in the world enter the brain in an instant, though it may take the rest of someone’s life to understand what they saw (Morris 45). Monjaraz says that he saw brutal things and did not get affected by it until the night time came around. He cried in his sleep, made groaning noises, mumbled things and had night sweats (Monjaraz). Morris states that fundamentally, we do not know why some people are damaged by terror and some are not. He adds that according to the Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, the
This paper explores post-traumatic stress and how it is seen as a disorder. Post-traumatic stress can manifest into post-traumatic stress disorder. According to Sareen (2014), Post-traumatic stress disorder is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5 as having 4 core features that are as follows. First, the person must witness or experience a stressful event. Secondly, the person or persons would re-experience symptoms of the event that include nightmares and/or flashbacks. The person or persons would also have hyper arousal symptoms, such as concentrations problems, irritability, and sleep disturbance. The final core feature dictates
There are two forms of mental illness that are primarily associated with deployment, . they are post-traumatic stress disorder and Traumatic brain Injury. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a brain disorder that occurs after a traumatic event such as a car accident. This mental illness effects the psychological functions of the brain rather than the cognitive functions but can be caused by a physically traumatic event. The effect PTSD has on the brain causes people to have psychological flashbacks of an event when mental triggers similar to the traumatic event occur. When associated with war PTSD is commonly caused by death of a close friend or battalion member and can also be traced to isolation on the battlefield. Studies have shown that rates
It is evident that reforms are necessary within the VA system and society in regards to PTSD and veterans. How can the American veterans be better taken care of? I will focus on the following four specific issues that are in need of reform,
Most of the time the victim “experiences intense fear, helplessness, and/or horror following the traumatic event or accident.” If the event was a near death experience, caused a serious injury, and/ or the witnessing of someone else going through that can cause these symptoms. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder “involves re-experiencing, avoidance, and arousal.” Re-experiencing is when you feel like the event is happening again. Just a simple sound, smell, or sight can bring on the re-experiencing. Avoidance is when you avoid “thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the event.” Also many people will avoid place that remind them of the event. Arousal is when you have trouble sleeping, sudden anger burst, struggling with focusing on the task at hand, an being startled easily. These symptoms can cause “distress and impairment in social areas of functioning.” Sometimes they feel “guilty that they survived while others didn’t.” (Magill’s Medical
Personally, I have a connection to rape so I will be focusing on that particularly. Symptoms of PTSD include: reliving the event in nightmares or disturbing memories, being very distressed by reminders of the event Avoiding places or situations that bring back the unwanted memories, and trying to avoid thinking or talking about the event. Aso being unable to recall an important part of the event, being easily startled, losing interest in activities that were once enjoyed, feeling distant from other people or emotionally numb, having sleep problems, being irritable or angry, and having trouble
Dr. Schnurr expertises in the field of how trauma effects the quality of health and life. She has studied at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in subjects such as psychiatry. Dr. Lunney also has very much expertise in the same field of work and has studied at Cornell University for psychology as well as Queen’s University. PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) is a widely-known disease that causes behavioral and psychological issues. It also causes abnormalities with one’s process of thoughts. Both authors study many various forms of PTSD. In this article, PTSD is focused more on how it effects male and female veterans.
This literature review briefly examines the scholarly journal articles and research cited above. The aim of these articles were to identify the effective intervention methods used for the treatment of co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD). Although there is much evidence to support the high rate of individuals who experience symptoms of or are diagnosed with both PTSD and a SUD, there is little known about the comorbidity of these two disorders. There is also little research focused on specific populations, such as veterans, who experience a high rate of SUD diagnoses generally associated with combat PTSD. The literature also describes possible rationale for the high rate of
“People with PTSD experience three different kinds of symptoms. The first set of symptoms involves
When humans undergo traumatic events that threaten their safety and wellbeing, they may become vulnerable to nightmares, fear, excessive anxiety, depression, and trembling. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological illness that results from the occurrence of a “terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise unsafe experience” (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), 2012). This condition often leads to unbearable stress and anxiety. PTSD is significantly prevalent as indicated by data from the National Co-morbidity Survey which shows that at a particular time in their lives, 7.8% of 5, 877 adults in America suffered from PTSD (Andrew & Bisson, 2009). In the general population, the lifetime prevalence is estimated at 8%,
PTSD affects 7.7 million American adults, but it can occur at any age (NIMH, PTSD, Who is at risk). The sight of violence and death leaves lasting effects on people. How do you think those people cope with what they saw when the Twin Towers went down? How do people cope with such traumatic experiences? The events that lead to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can impact one’s life, fortunately there are ways to treat it.
Furthermore, there are a number of features involved with PTSD. These may appear within three months of the traumatic event, or months to years later, and may last a short time, or very long time. On the other hand, they may go away only to return when a person becomes distressed or suffers another traumatic experience. Re-experiencing the traumatic event can come in many forms. The most common forms are having continuous, vivid mental pictures of the traumatic event, or continual upsetting dreams concerning the traumatic event. Occasionally a person may become disassociated momentarily or possibly for several days. All these events are referred to as “flashbacks”. They generally occur when a person has severe distress or high arousal. This extreme psychological distress
The fast paced, often demanding world of life in the military, and the experiences of combat and death, create situations in which many veterans experience psychological stress. These stressful situations are typically complicated further by the self-medication of substance use, and other psychological disorders that may be present. There is a large number of military personnel that are facing stressful issues such as homelessness, suicide, and substance abuse, which could lead to them getting involved with the criminal justice system. There is approximately 18.5% of service members returning from Iraq or Afghanistan that suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, and about 19.5% of military personnel report experiencing a traumatic brain injury during their deployment in the middle east (Veterans and Military Families, 2014).
Stein, Dan J., Seedat, Soraya, Iversen, Amy, and Wesley, Simona, (2007), Post-traumatic stress disorder: medicine and politics, 369: 139 44