The Lord Of The Rings

The diagnosis of PTSD requires one or more symptoms from three main categories. The first category is re-experiencing the event. This can include reliving the event through nightmares, upsetting thoughts, flashbacks, or anything that can remind the person of the traumatic event, making them have physical and mental reactions ("Post-traumatic Stress," 2014). Next, the second category is avoidance. The individual will avoid thoughts, activities, or conversations that can remind them of the traumatic event. The third stage to diagnose PTSD is increased arousal in your life including, a loss of interest in important things you need such as decreased sleep and being unable to concentrate in your day to day life ("Post-traumatic Stress," 2014). Major depression, substance abuse, and panic can also correlate with PTSD. This diagnosis requires these symptoms to be bad enough to interfere with your daily life and last at least a month.

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.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric sequel to a stressful event or situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature. It develops after a person is involved in a horrifying ordeal that involved physical maltreatment or the threat of physical harm. These events can include combat or military experience, abuse during childhood or adulthood (physical or sexual), terrorist attacks, serious accidents or natural disasters. This person may have been the one that was harmed, witnessed a harmful event or had a loved one who was harmed. It is normal for the body’s fight or flight mechanism to engage in times of danger. With a person who has PTSD, that mechanism is damaged and the person feels this even when they are not in danger. Symptoms can be categorized into four different areas – re-experiencing symptoms (flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts) , avoiding situations that remind the person of the event, negative changes in beliefs and feelings (may be fear, guilt, shame or losing interest in those activities that once were enjoyable) and hypervigilence (always feeling keyed up, trouble concentrating or sleeping). There are also feelings of hopelessness, despair, depression or anxiety, alcohol or substance abuse, physical symptoms or chronic pain and problems with employment and relationships.

PTSD is listed among a group called Trauma-and-stressor-Related Disorders. For a person to be diagnosed with PTSD, they must have been exposed to, witness, or experience the details of a traumatic experience (e.g., a first responder), one that involves “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” (APA, 2013, p. 271). (PRU, 2016, p. 66). The aforementioned definition of PTSD relates to soldiers; the manifestations and causes experienced with traditional PTSD can look somewhat different. Obvious causes of PTSD in soldiers stem from exposure to stressful circumstances within combat, exposure to the suffering and death of others, destruction, personal danger, and injury. A study on Vietnam soldiers provides insight on less obvious causes of PTSD. The study suggests

The disorder did not become more common until it was affecting the veterans at war who are haunted by the tragedies of war. “PTSD did not become an official disorder until the American Psychiatric Association added it to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-III in 1980.” (Friedman) The DSM-III is a criterion for the classification of mental disorders that was first published in 1952. In today’s world, it is known as the DSM-V. PTSD in the DSM-III was classified as an anxiety disorder. However, today PTSD is now diagnosed as a trauma and stressor-related disorder. What we know now about PTSD is that under the classification of trauma and stressor- related disorder, a person must be exposed to a life stress related event to cause the disorder. What we also know now about PTSD is that it can occur in one of four ways: “direct exposure to trauma; witnessing trauma in person; learning a close friend or relative experienced trauma (indirect exposure); and repeated or extreme indirect exposure to aversive details of the event”

The new DSM 5 identifies “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” via firsthand experience, observing or seeing others go through the traumatic experience, hearing about a traumatic incident that significantly affected a family or a friend, and direct repetitive exposure or re-experiencing of the traumatic event or details of it (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Anyone of these situations can trigger the onset of PTSD and the symptoms can be very debilitating even life-threatening not just to the individuals with the disorder but to those around them.

psychologically changed (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2012; Satel, 2011). Peterson et al. (2011) reported that combat-related trauma is the second leading cause of PTSD in men. In this section, diagnostic criteria, assessment, and interview protocols related to PTSD are discussed. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fourth Edition – Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR, American Psychiatric Association, 2000) outlined criteria for the PTSD diagnosis and defined it according to its symptoms, duration, and the nature of the trauma. According to the DSM-IV-TR (2000) Criterion A must be met in order for a PTSD diagnosis: “the person experienced, witnessed or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or

There are 4 components when diagnosing PTSD. A person that has had direct experience in a traumatic event or learn that the event happened to someone close to them. The other two components from the DSM are witnessing an event in person or having repeated contact to excruciating details of a disturbing incident. After someone has had one out of the four above than doctors look at the re-experiencing. There are several ways but only one is required when diagnosing. These ways include: images, dreams, hallucinations, flashbacks, and thoughts. People who have PTSD can trigger these re-experiencing’s by any number of things. It could be a firework going off, a familiar face, a photo graph or someone talking about a similar event. It is said that adults with PTSD re-experiences through observation while children’s can be triggered by play. These triggers need to be avoided. In the DSM-5 a person with PTSD may have a negative disposition. They may not be able to remember and important part associated with the event. PTSD leaves patients with abnormal behaviors. They can be careless or angry and even fearful. Another symptom is sleep deprivation. None of these can be associated with a medical condition or substance

PTSD used to be referred to as shell shock and battle fatigue for soldiers, but today it can affect people of all ages and all ethnic groups (Cohen 2016). Children that witness sexual abuse, adolescents that experience drive by shootings, and adults that go through natural disasters have the potential to be diagnosed with PTSD. Several recent studies have shown that trauma is fairly common in the United States. One study goes to show that over 50% of all people will experience a traumatic event some time in their lives. For women, this event is usually rape and sexual abuse. For men, it is most commonly combat exposure. Domestic violence is also a common precipitant of PTSD, but it is not as sufficiently recognized as a cause. Other causes that may lead to increased vulnerability are impairments in personal judgement, lack of supportive relationships, and previous traumatic experiences or underlying mental disorders. One common misconception is that PTSD is the immediate response to a traumatic experience. The majority of people that are exposed to a traumatic experience often develop insomnia for a short time but cope and recover fairly well. Less than 10% of people with symptoms showing PTSD go on to develop the actual disorder (Cohen

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).

Fantasy and reality have an immense amount of differences. But, could the two very well be the same? The answer is obvious. JRR Tolkien, the author of the well known series, “ Lord of the Rings’ states “ It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” Tolkien significantly overwhelms the quote to portray a similar message. As plans and tactics are placed into action, one must severely and crucially be as detailed as possible.

(1)Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring from the Lord of the Rings trilogy is about a young Hobbit named Frodo, whose duty is to destroy the One Ring, the only thing keeping the Dark Lord from taking over Middle Earth, where this story takes place. (2)The book opens with Frodo, the main character inheriting all of his uncles treasures from his past adventures after he leaves his home permanently, including a ring he was told not to wear. (3)Gandalf, an old friend of Frodo’s arrives with urgent news, warning Frodo to leave Hobbiton (the town he lives in) immediately because the Ring he bears is a threat to the entirety of Middle Earth, the place where this story takes place. (4)Frodo realizes that the ring is the only thing keeping the Dark Lord

Tom Bombadil placed the magic ring on his finger; everyone waited for him to disappear, but nothing happened, and he handed the ring back to Frodo without a slight hesitation. Frodo offered Galadriel the ring and she grew into a horrible creature towering over Frodo, but fought the ring’s strong temptation, and finally decreasing back to her normal self and declined the powerful ring. Both Tom and Galadriel, in The Lord of the Ring, portray Tolkien’s respect for nature and strong spirituality, because they are powerful creatures, yet able to live a balanced life. Tom Bombadil was the master of the forest he lived in, and Frodo’s magic ring had no effect on him. Lady Galadriel was an Elf ruler and was able to withstand the temptation of the magic ring. The magic ring symbolizes the corruption and power, leading to an unsustainable world. For example, society has an unsustainable demand for oil. Oil pipelines, such as the Keystone, have lessened the beauty of nature where they have been built. Companies believe they have the right to construct pipelines across the US at the expense of the environment. Humans must remember to value the beauty of nature.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s world renowned novel, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, what can be inferred almost right from looking at the novel is that it’s mainly about rings or a single ring. This ring was said to have been owned by an extremely evil lord, Sauron, who wishes to use the ring’s immense power to enslave and control all of the land and people. The ring finds its way into the hands of a Hobbit who goes by Frodo Baggins, and the story basically unfolds from there. Tolkien mainly tries to express themes such as the controlling influence of power as well as the strength between friendships and bonds through the uses of setting and tone. The setting greatly influences the novel and the characters in many ways with loads of

One might argue that attaining great power exists as one of the main goals of life, where one gains an amount of control and keeps that control to bask in one’s own success of the manipulation. Whether power be raising a family or a farm, controlling a business, or ruling a nation, power can often be seen as a gauge of success, and once one obtains power, renouncing that power remains generally out of the question. A few remarkable events in history and literature demonstrate how individuals who come into great power have a great enough will to then leave their posts of command. An example of this in the history of the United States is when George Washington renounced his post as Commander in Chief after two four year terms, then setting the precedent for all Presidents to follow. Arguably some of the most profound examples of the renunciation of power in literature are written by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings, where the ultimate power source created contains enough power that the master of the Ring becomes in turn the master of Middle Earth, and absolute power follows in accordance to absolute corruption of he who possesses it. Many a man and creature wields the Ring, falling to the temptation of its power and the poison of its possession, bringing about death and evil life to the masters of the Ring.In Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the wizard Gandalf renounces the power of the Ring offered to him by Frodo on the account that Gandalf’s appointed task stands not