Todd And His Family: A Case Study

It is normal, following a traumatic experience, for a person to feel disconnected, anxious, sad and frightened. However, if the distress does not fade and the individual feels stuck with a continuous sense of danger as well as hurting memories, then that person might in fact be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PSTD could develop after a traumatic incident which threatens one’s safety or makes one to feel helpless (Dalgleish, 2010). Coping with traumatic events could be very difficult, but confronting one’s feelings and seeking professional assistance is usually the only way to properly treat PSTD. Many kids and adolescents worldwide experience events that are traumatizing. If exposure to trauma is not treated, it could lead to various mental health problems. Researchers have reported a connection between traumatization and increases in mood and anxiety disorders, but the most frequently reported symptoms of psychological distress are post-traumatic stress symptoms (Cohen, Mannarino & Iyengar, 2011).

Childhood and adolescence is a crucial time for humans- a time full of physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Upon observing the significant impact that trauma induced stress can have on adults following time in combat or an injury, when adults have fully matured in all areas, it raises the question of what influence post-traumatic stressors can have on development in children. This issue was so significant that in the DSM-5, the psychologists introduced a new, and separate, section of criteria for PTSD that specifically relates to the preschool subtype, or those individuals six years and younger. The first age specific sub-type for this disorder is important due to the rising number of studies and cases of PTSD in children.

At the scene of the bombing, “A local hospital administrator explained modestly, ‘With the enormous outpouring of medical volunteers we received, it would have been nearly impossible not to have done a great job’” (Ray 2). After the terrorist attack of the twin towers, it was the survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing who gave the 9/11 victims the most effective support. Janet Walker made the statement, “We’re the only ones who can truly say, ‘I know how you feel’ (Tanner 1). Kathleen Treanor, a woman who lost her daughter and both of her in-laws, said “It’s an immediate connection” (Tanner 1).

These men and women risked their lives to try to save the thousands of men, women, and children trapped inside the Murrah building. In assumption people would think this traumatic experience of trying to recover lives after the explosion would not only be very heartbreaking, but very traumatic also. Surprisingly, from all the rescue workers only 13% (24/181) were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (North). A test was approved and ran by the Washington University School of Medicine Institutional Review Board (North). This test involved the first group of firefighters who were involved with the bombing victims (North). These firefighters are the ones who helped recover bodies and body parts from the rubble of the bombing (North). “Two-thirds (68%) reported feeling somewhat or very upset by either or both of these activities, although many (36%) described removing the bodies as providing a sense of relief and closure to their evacuation work. Firefighters acknowledged feeling somewhat or very upset by contact with body parts (54%) and body fluids (36%), but encounters with children’s remains (72% of total sample) had the highest rating of associated upset”

Terrorist attacks weaken the spirits of everyone in the world. On the day of September 11, 2000, you can hear the endless hearts and spirits breaking around the world. In the article, “ 9/11: Finding Answers in Ashes 16 years later,” Editorial Board, tells the story of how the chief medical examiner, Dr. Barbara Sampson explains the process and the work that was completed after the 9/11 attack.

In September 11, 2001, the United States recalled this day as a day of tragedy, sadness, terrorism, and trauma. The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center not only took the lives of people, but it also gave the individuals who survived and experienced the event post traumatic stress disorder after the event. This topic has been studied and interviews have been conducted with those individuals who had Unmet Mental Health Care Need 10 - 11 years after the tragic event collecting the results from 2011 - 2012 World Trade Center Health Registry. Unmet Mental Health Care Need 10 - 11 years after the 9/11 terrorist

The events that unfolded on September 11, 2001 (9/11) at the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City, had major repercussions on various levels. Its impact was not limited to structural and financial damage, but transcended to affect the emotional and mental stability of many people throughout the United States. Emergency preparedness protocols at the time of the events were insufficient considering the magnitude and the uncommon nature of the disaster. While structural damage was quantifiable, psychological implications were more complex to identify and consequently treat. Posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD), is one of the most common mental health disorders that affects people exposed to traumatic disaster situations. The exposure may

One of the most traumatic events in American history took place on September 11th, 2016. Millions of lives were affected both directly and indirectly by the evil acts of a terrorist group on American soil. While the physical damage done by the days’ events were very clear, the emotional wreckage was a little bit harder to see. The ruble of the twin towers has been cleaned up, and a new building has taken its place but the mental hardships and consequences of the fateful days’ events are still being felt. Paul, a 5 year old in 2001, was a victim of the attack, and encountered unthinkable loss as a result of the inhume actions. The trauma that he was subjected to on 9/11 left a lasting impact on him, and has severely altered his mental health.

Looking at how PTSD affects Americans, Jessica Hamblen, writer for the U.S. Department of Veteran affairs, states, “there are a number of psychiatric disorders that are commonly found in children and adolescents who have been traumatized” (Hamblen).

As Americans came home with the loss of friends or family they started to show symptoms of PTSD. PTSD is a serious matter most PTSD cases comes from a traumatic event that is terrible and can be scary to see or hear about. Some soldiers that experience PTSD wake up to a night mare, or they have a negative feeling about something, some combat soldiers with have fear when they go over a man hole. Not only did soldiers experience PTSD children can to. A lot of children from the age of birth to six years old can experience this if they are not close with a parent. As you get older it could be something else that trigger

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, life for the first responders and those in New York at the time was not the same. First responders on scene have it worst out of all. “The September 11, 2001 (9/11), terrorist attacks were unprecedented in their magnitude and aftermath. In the wake of the attacks, researchers reported a wide range of mental and physical health outcomes, with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) the one most commonly studied” (Neria 1). As mentioned from the quote above from an online article written by Yuval Neria, many of the first responders suffer from the stages of PTSD, and in severe cases some may suffer from cancer from all of the debris and concrete inhaled by them. Besides the horrible effects on the first

Research has been dedicated to studying impact of the Holocaust on the survivors and their children. What was predominately found was that the children of the survivors have an overwhelmingly high amount of post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology. (Jacobs, 2011)

Chapter 10 examines various forms of abuse. Kanal (2011) sets forth that stress as it relates to abuse can cause Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. The author describes PSTD as a psychological disorder that is brought on by an event that occurs in a person’s life. PSTD is usually associated with military people returning from the combat but that is only one of many demographics that can be effected by the disorder; this chapter underscores in addition to PSTD abuse can manifest itself in a number of different ways. The author begins the discussion with child abuse. From a crisis professional’s perspective, dealing with children is complicated because depending on the age of the child, communication can be difficult. In addition, the child may

Childhood is a time for playdates and learning, a time for big dreams and imaginary adventures. Safety and security should not be questions that linger in uncertainty. However, this is not the case for many children across the globe. Thousands of children from all walks of life each day are faced with unspeakable horror and must deal with the resulting trauma from then on. However, in children, managing this trauma takes a different toll on the mind and heart than it does in adults. While the type of trauma may vary in pervasiveness across countries, trauma occurring in childhood has the ability to cause long term damage to the growing neurological functioning in the brain and negatively influence children’s spiritual development, wounding

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is extremely common among certain individuals such as veterans, rape, and natural disaster victims. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is life altering, once diagnosed, the most efficient way is look for a solution to cope with it. Known as PTSD for short, “is a mental disability that occurs when experiencing or witnessing a life threatening events such as military events, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents or physical/sexual abuse in adult or childhood.”(1) The symptoms of PTSD include reliving a person’s traumatic experience, avoiding situations or people that remind the individual of said experience, emotionally detached, hyperarousal, and a sense of self guilt. In the novel, The Kite Runner, there is a child by the name of Sohrab, who was the son of the late Hassan’s son. Sohrab was sexually abused by one of the antagonists of the book named Assef which caused Sohrab’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sohrab faces a largely misunderstood trauma: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) just like most of the children who suffered from sexual and physical abuse trauma.