What Does Stress Cause Anxiety?

The symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder vary. They can include an increased level of anxiety, which can result in difficulty sleeping, concentrating, and an exaggerated response to noise. PTSD can affect a woman who has experienced sexual assault ability to remember past events, in particular events associated with her assault. (2) PTSD can cause feelings of detachment and numbness, as well as a desire to avoid anything that the victim might associate with her assault. While doctors have been able to identify the symptoms in many victims of sexual assault the exact cause of the disorder is still questioned. Is the disorder the body's response to trauma? If so what relationship exists between the symptoms associated with PTSD as trauma? A strong correlation has been found between sufferers of PTSD and poor health. (3) PTSD can lead to depression and sickness. PTSD if not treated can also indirectly cause accidents that can affect a victim's health. These accidents can be the result high levels of anxiety, of a lack of ability to focus, and a lack of ability to respond.

The incidence of intimate partner violence is quite common amongst individuals in the United States. As a result, PTSD and depressive disorder have been consequences associated with this issue, further adding to numerous public health issues that our society is facing. Intimate partner violence not only affects the victim, but the families and society as well. Therefore, efforts must be made to decrease the prevalence of IPV, as well as assisting those individuals who have been victimized in this issue. Past research has associated PTSD with individuals with sexual abuse, but not specific to IPV. One example in particular, included research done amongst women

Trauma is an individual’s visceral reaction to a horrible event, events such as early childhood traumas, accidents, sexual abuse, or community violence (apa.org, 2016). An individual may react with shock and denial in the aftermath. As time continues some reactions may comprise of mood swings, intrusive memories, difficulties maintaining relationships and can manifest into physical symptoms to include headache or upset stomach. There are individuals who experience difficulties functioning in their daily lives; these observable responses are a normal response to the trauma (apa.org, 2016).

At least 50% of all adults and children are exposed to a psychologically traumatic event (such as a life-threatening assault or accident, humanmade or natural disaster, or war). As many as 67% of trauma survivors experience lasting psychosocial impairment, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); panic, phobic, or generalized anxiety disorders; depression; or substance abuse.(Van der Kolk, et al, 1994) Symptoms of PTSD include persistent involuntary re-experiencing of traumatic distress, emotional numbing and detachment from other people, and hyperarousal (irritability, insomnia, fearfulness, nervous agitation). PTSD is linked to structural neurochemical changes in the central nervous system which may have a direct

Domestic violence or partner violence is a serious public health problem in the military veterans with PTSD. For veterans, PTSD is strong factor that largely accounts for the relationship between

Post-Traumatic Stress disorder, also known as PTSD, is a disorder associated with significant distress and impairment, especially after a war or any type of abuse such as domestic violence. About 15% of United States veterans will experience post-traumatic stress in their life time because it is the most common mental health disorder among veterans. One study shows that 31-84% of the women that have experience domestic abuse experience post-traumatic stress after they are in a safe environment because something will trigger flashbacks on the past traumatic event. The largest amount of post-traumatic stress disorder is due to a sense of ongoing threat to safety and sense of helplessness in life. Victims who experience post-traumatic stress disorder will go on many hardships of their life rather it is having to deal with a flashback of the traumatic event or even shutting out their own family. As I explain what it is, who most commonly will experience this post-traumatic stress, the symptoms, and the lifestyle of living with this disorder and how it affects the family, you will soon understand the hardships these individuals face, just like I did while researching this type of disorder.

Effects. Sexual abuse can cause eating disorders, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, pervasive fear, and PTSD (Culp 14). Post-traumatic stress disorder patients can experience many different symptoms “From night terrors to hypervigilance, living on the cusp of a chronic fight-or-flight state can make even simple tasks like walking through a crowd overwhelming” (Butterfield). Many of those that have PTSD have developed substances abuse disorders. Over half of PTSD victims deal with substance abuse (Brazell).

“The key to understanding the scientific basis and clinical expression of PTSD is the concept of "trauma” (Friedman, 2016). Researchers followed victims following traumatic events such as war, torture, rape and catastrophic disasters. These circumstances differ from stressors like illness, divorce, and rejection; all of which are considered ordinary stressors. “This dichotomization between traumatic and other stressors was based on the assumption that, although most individuals have

The study conducted by Hellmuth, Jaquier, Swan, & Sullivan addresses the correlation of intimate partner violence with class membership, depression, alcohol and drug problems with post-traumatic stress symptoms (these usually co-occur with post-traumatic stress symptoms) and also whether they meet the criterion A and F for post-traumatic stress disorder according to the DSM-IV. Criterion A is one’s reaction to the threat from intimate personal violence that results in a response of intense fear, helplessness and/or horror. Criterion F is functional impairment as a result from post-traumatic stress symptoms. (Hellmuth, Jaquier, Swan, & Sullivan, 2014)

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

Women who are abused are afraid to leave their abuser because they fear for the welfare of themselves and their children. “Most children who witness domestic violence manifest some symptoms associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” (“Domestic violence Statistics”). Threats take place that make the women not

There are hundreds of different kinds of psychiatric disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV). One of them is called Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Based on the research, post-traumatic disorder usually occurs following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape (Harvard Women’s Health Watch, 2005). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the risk factors, pathophysiology, clinical manifestation, diagnostic criteria and tests, treatment, prognosis and future research and approaches to treat this psychiatric illness of post-traumatic stress

The American Psychitric Association explains Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as “the experience of a traumatic event that is followed by the persistence of re-experiencing the same or a similar event and results into the symptoms of two clusters in PTSD i.e. increased arousal and avoidance” (Roberts, 2011). When a patient develops PTSD then his/her emotions and sensation about the traumatic event lead them towards a life of suffering. whenever the trauma replays it leads towards the sensations and increases distress (Hughes, 2011). An example of a factor that can lead to PTSD is sexual abuse. Research evidenced that a significant proportion of the victims of sexual abuse have become traumatised which leads them towards PTSD (Bender, 2010).

The impact of stress and trauma upon the human psyche continues to challenge and inform researchers and clinicians who work in this field. Internal responses to trauma often precede development of defenses and coping mechanisms which are normal reactions to abnormal or recurring traumatic situations or experiences (American Psychiatric Association, 1980). The impact and imprint of trauma on the human psyche can lead to a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in some adults and children (Barlow, 2014; Courtois & Ford, 2013; Soloman & Siegel, 2003; Yarhouse, Butman & McRay, 2005).

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is characterized by the presence of signs and symptoms in the three primary domains: (i) reminders of the exposure (including flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, nightmares); (ii) activation (including hyperarousal, insomnia, agitation, irritability, impulsivity and anger); and (iii) deactivation (including numbing, avoidance, withdrawal, confusion, derealization, dissociation, and depression). (Sherin & Nemeroff, 2011). The signs and symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder are persistent, abnormal adaption of neurolobiological systems to the stress witnessed trauma (Sherin & Nemeroff, 2011). L.S. reported sexual abuse as a child from age 4 to 8 years old and bullying