...In my Behavioral Neuroscience class, Dr. Miller told us a story about a 70-year-old veteran who was on his way to the post office to send a letter to his son. As he got out of the car, his gaze fell upon the tall, slender pole that had raised the American flag proud and high. However, for this gentleman, he, unfortunately, had an adverse reaction as he stared at the flag. His heartbeat was on a full rush, his hands became sweaty, and it became suddenly hard for him to keep standing. At that moment, he was taken back to his war years and relived the moment when his partner, who’d been carrying the American flag, was killed right before his eyes. The poor old man became terrified that he would face the same fate as his friend, even though the...
Words: 979 - Pages: 4
...Evidence-based answers from the Family Physicians Inquiries Network What is the most effective way to relieve symptoms of acute stress disorder? EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER James M. Scott III, MD; Neil Nipper, MD Eglin Air Force Base Family Medicine Residency, Eglin AFB, Fla Rita Smith, MS, MEd Lackland Air Force Base Medical Library, Lackland AFB, Tex A cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that emphasizes exposure-based treatment is the most effective intervention for adults with acute stress disorder (ASD) (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, meta-analysis of limited-quality randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Exposure-based therapy reduces symptoms in adults with ASD more than CBT that focuses on cognitive restructuring; both therapies are better than no treatment at all (SOR: B, a limited-quality RCT). Avoid drug treatment within 4 weeks of appearance of symptoms, unless distress is too severe to be managed with psychological treatment alone (SOR: C, consensus guideline). Evidence summary ASD refers to a constellation of psychological symptoms that can occur within 4 weeks after a traumatic event.1 (For more on ASD, see http://www.psychologynet.org/dsm/stress. html.) Patients with symptoms that persist beyond 4 weeks or develop after 4 weeks are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Approximately 12.5% of people who experience a traumatic event develop ASD, and 10% develop PTSD, although not all patients who develop PTSD have preceding ASD.2 Early identification...
Words: 1212 - Pages: 5
...Traumatic Experiences | January 1 1980 | Research Process I’ve always been fascinated by the military fighting for the freedom of The United States because certainly there are people out there looking to destroy what we have. I grew a fascination toward military personnel in general because I loved playing the game series “Call of Duty”, which gave me an idea to join the marines, but due to the situation with family, I chose not to go through with my decision. They told me that I was going to waste my life going to war and that my family moved to The United States to serve a better life for their children, not make it harder. They believed this because my cousin, as my parents would say, “he came back from war and he didn’t come back the same”. My cousin went through two tours of Iraq between the time of 2007-2009 and before that he had two years of training. In total he spent six years with the military before retiring; He had issues transitioning from a marine infantry soldier to normal civilian life and I observed and wondered what was wrong with him. The reason I chose this article was because this was an in depth-review of post-traumatic disorder at the time of 2007, which was around time the time my cousin enlisted to the marines. My goal was to see if his PTSD could have been prevented if he had done some research before enlisting into the military. This article Occupational Medicine: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder had and overall in-depth information regarding...
Words: 1098 - Pages: 5
...Combat Stress Yan E Oei ECPI University Abstract This research paper investigates the neurological disorder of Combat Stress. Combat stress is a short-term affliction caused by the traumatic effects of war. The historical perspective of combat stress were considered. The effects of combat stress on physical, emotional, mental and psychological parameters were analyzed. The ways of medical and psychological treatment were also mentioned. The cost of war weighs tremendously high, especially if one considers the individual human suffering and not just the loss of government property. When soldiers find themselves in the extraordinary and life threatening conditions, there is a high percent of combat and operational stress from which they may suffer. Combat stress compromises the service-member's emotional, mental and behavioral well-being beyond the lines of the battlefield. Combat stress is a neurological disorder caused by the traumatic effects and accompanied by “melancholy, insomnia, weakness, loss of appetite, and anxiety” (Weaver & Steward, 1988, p3). It is relevant to mention that combat stress is not a continuous disorder but a short-term affliction; and in this case, should be differed from the post-traumatic stress disorder which is long-term and brings more serious consequences. Among the general symptoms of the combat stress are exhaustion, fatigue, fear, uncertainty, and the inability to concentrate as if the person is switched off from the world....
Words: 680 - Pages: 3
...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Student’s Name: Institutional affiliation: Case study Jake is a 45 year old male who has served as an active military soldier in the government for more than twenty years. In his twenty years of service, he has been deployed several times to war torn countries like Afghanistan. Over the years he got promoted to a Warrant Officer1. This put him in a position where younger service men looked up to him for strength and leadership skills. He was doing fine until six months ago when he started displaying signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Jake claims to have seen some horrifying details during his time of service but he knew that was all part of his job description. One incident that is still deeply embedded in his mind is when he saw a horrifying incident of his closest friend and comrade being completely blown up by a grenade. Another incident he recalls vividly is when his unit went into one of the small villages in Afghanistan just after insurgents had left. The insurgents wanted to set to set a good example to people who were thought to be collaborators. The destruction left behind was horrendous. He coped up by blocking the images out but when he returned home, the horrific and disturbing images never got out of his mind. At one point he struggled so much trying to remember the past. His wife complained that he was short tempered and always on the edge shouting at the kids and losing...
Words: 1240 - Pages: 5
...Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a complex mental health disorder with poor treatment outcome. While the majority of the population will be exposed to some form of trauma throughout their lifetime only a fraction will actually go on to develop the disorder (Kessler et. Al, 1995). This has lead many researchers to devote their time to the analysis of pre-trauma factors such as individual characteristics (e.g intelligence) as a means of identifying personal vulnerability for the development of PTSD. However, with the exception of female gender, pre-trauma variables are for the most part associated with an individual's risk of exposure and have been shown to have substantially less predictive power regarding who's actually at risk for developing PTSD following trauma (Bromet 1998). Therefore, peri-traumatic factors such as the nature of the trauma and dissociative symptoms currently remain the most successful predictors in relation to the onset and duration of PTSD at our disposal (Ozer et al. 2003). Continued research of trauma severity and dissociative symptoms as well as further investigation into how these two factors interact to predict PTSD is necessary to further our understanding of the disorder and improve treatment methods. It has been known for some time that the severity of a traumatic event is a robust predictor for PTSD (Birmes et. Al, 2003). While there is no universal measure of trauma severity, factors like perceived life threat, duration of the event...
Words: 1734 - Pages: 7
...Psychology Analysis Dan McKinney PSY/460 May 07, 2012 Aixa College University of Phoenix Environmental Psychology Analysis The article that is discussed in this report is the reduction of posttraumatic stress disorder following natural disasters. There is a lot of stress, fear, and behavior issues that following a traumatic event like a natural disasters. Most adults have difficulty coping with fear or stress while experiencing a natural disaster but it is especially challenging for children because of the lack of developmental stages of coping with stress and natural disasters. After such disasters children can show signs of distress and emotional disturbance, so acquiring parents, guardians, and teachers provide emotional support is essential for aiding in reducing posttraumatic stress disorder. In me cases children need professional help, therefore educating parents and loved ones to facilitate adaptive coping strategies and interventions is the first step with posttraumatic stress disorder. One must understand the signs after such a traumatic event like a natural disaster in which case executing the proper proven interventions that incorporate play with aid in developing coping skills for children who have PTSD. Many different therapies like Cognitive Behavior Therapy Family Play Therapy are usually the best fit for PTSD. Smith (2011), “After a traumatic experience...
Words: 818 - Pages: 4
...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Vietnam War Veterans COMM/156 4/14/2013 Professor Marsha Parker PTSD is an anxiety disorder classified as a mental illness caused by exposure to terrifying or life threatening events. During the time of war, people get exposed to devastating experiences such as sexual abuse, witnessing murder of family members or familiar people, and other horrors of war. As a result, the victims suffer from mental disorders since the horrible experiences are forever ingrained in their mind. Bearing in mind that bad memories are rarely erased, the experiences can be compared to a horror movie that is often played in the mind and constantly frightens the victim to death. On one hand the victim celebrates survival but on the other hand the experiences haunt one through night mares or flashbacks. The victim remains constantly on edge and is easily startled. Some common feelings include intense guilt and some time numbness- all signs of posttraumatic stress disorder (TMP, 2012). A research finding by Bruce Dohrenwend and colleagues from New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia’s Letter Carrier School of Public Health, shows that traumatic experiences during war predicted the onset of PTSD in Vietnam veterans (Mikulak, 2013). We will examine the PTSD in Vietnam War veterans. Human existence has been always exposed to traumatic incidences of various kinds. For instance, attacks by lions or even the twentieth century terrorist attacks to...
Words: 1645 - Pages: 7
...Theoretical Analysis And Application 1. Antwone Fisher’s character as a child displayed him experiencing the verbal, physical, sexual and mental abuse. He went from young boy growing up in a dysfunctional environment, to say the least. As Antwone matured into adulthood it became more apparent that the process of his childhood development was frustrated and he had not developed his distinct sense of self. Carl Roger’s client-centered theory states that as infants grow they develop a sense of self with ideas of whom they are and who they would like to be and through the approval from others, they will develop a positive self-regard (Schultz and Schultz, 2009). In Antwone’s story his experiences were very much the opposite. He grew into his idea self with client-center therapy and he learned to become a fully functioning person. He went from having a poor concept of self to becoming self-actualized and developed self-worth and dignity. Antwone’s journey to confront his pain permitted him to become emotionally healthy. It is believed that as a child Antwone suffered from the debilitating fear in by large was from what he experienced regularly with in his environment. The constant hoping and wishing that his mother would come someday to save him from the atrocities he was enduring would lead one to assume that he suffered incurably. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that's triggered by a traumatic event. Individuals...
Words: 530 - Pages: 3
...Ty Meeks Psych 32 April 15, 2012 Research on Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder The first reported case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder dates back nearly 3000 years. In 1000BC an Egyptian combat veteran named Hori wrote, “You determine to go forward. Shuddering seizes you, the hair on your head stands on end, your soul lies in your hand” (Dyer). Since the beginning of wars men have been terrified of dyeing, and subjected to horrific scenes of devastation. This constant mental and physical stress can lead to numerous lasting complications in combat veterans. In 1678 Swiss military physicians finally identified the unusual behaviors among their combat veterans and gave it the medical name “Nostalgia” (Bentley). Since that time many militaries around the world have been studying the effects of war on their troops. It was not till the Civil war that the US first took an active approach to handling those afflicted with the disorder. In his article Bentley wrote, “During the Civil War the psychological symptoms from war became so common, field commanders as well as medical doctors pleaded with the War Department to provide some type of screening to eliminate recruit susceptible to psychiatric breakdown.” The first military hospitals were finally opened in 1863 to deal with the large numbers of mental breaks caused by the war. The US finally gave this condition a name after WWI. They believed that the impact of the shells being...
Words: 1002 - Pages: 5
...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Military Families Angelica Sevcik Eastern State Florida Collage Fall 2015 Total Word count References=Body WC Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Military Families. Davis, L. L., Pilkinton, P., Poddar, S., Blansett, C., Toscano, R., & Parker, P. E. (2014). Impact of social challenges on gaining employment for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: An exploratory moderator analysis. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 37(2), Purpose: To explore whether psychosocial challenges impact effects of vocational rehabilitation in Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Hypothesis Procedure: A post hoc exploratory analysis of possible moderators of treatment was conducted...
Words: 927 - Pages: 4
...The Military, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Personality Jaye Crouse Northcentral University Dr. Claire Clifford PSY8100 Jul 20, 2014 Introduction The field of personality psychology has developed out of the necessity to know why people act, feel, and think like they do, to analyze their inward and outward motivations, and to discover where behaviors originate. It is the age-old debate of nature versus nurture that is found in many psychological theories and personality is no exception. Some researchers are convinced that the structure of personality is uniform and personality traits are universal, fundamentally heritable, and comprised of broadly defined dimensions where cultural, social, and gender influences are irrelevant and personality traits are fairly stable (Cattell, Eber, & Tatsuoka, 1970; McCrae & Costa, 1997: Terracciano & McCrae, 2006). Other psychologists such as humanistic and positive psychologists believe quite the opposite and contend that humans are essentially good with free will to make choices, change outcomes, and seek out opportunities to enhance their quality of life with the goal of self-actualizing, making personality a more fluid and less deterministic perspective with a focus on values, resiliency, and subjective well-being (Cloninger, 2013). Other researchers such as Freud, Adler, Horney, and Jung believe culture, society, and environment are profoundly important influences on personality (working in tandem...
Words: 7789 - Pages: 32
...PYC4802/101/0/2015 Tutorial letter 101/0/2015 Psychopathology PYC4802 Year module Department of Psychology IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This tutorial letter contains important information about your module. CONTENTS Page 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Turorial material ....................................................................................................... 4 2. PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE ......................................... 4 2.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Outcomes ................................................................................................................ 4 3. LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS ............................................................ 6 3.1 Lecturer(s) ............................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Department .............................................................................................................. 7 3.3 University ................................................................................................................. 7 4. MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES ....................................................................... 7 4.1 Prescribed book.....
Words: 20674 - Pages: 83
...(Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, 2003). Humanitarian immigrants present higher levels of stress and socialisation problems when compared to other migrant entrants (MacLennan, 1997). A significant portion of humanitarian entrants have ran from circumstances involving great violence and exhibit trauma, economic turmoil, loss of family and social networks, and significant breaks from education or work (Kline &Mone, 2003). Refugees tend to have experienced war and famine (Adams et al, 2004) and these experiences have led them to experience substantially trauma, involving physical and mental torture, sexual abuse, and other distressing conditions (Neuner et al, 2004). According to Farwell (2004), experiencing trauma during war and economic troubles leads to their mental turmoil. Experiencing and witnessing violence is connected to an array of various deliberating psychological effects such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (Silove, 2001). Psychological distress related to psychosomatic disorders, grief and questioning the meaning of life areexhibited to a lesser extend as a result of such experiences (Silove, 1999., Steel, 1991). Refugees who had their life threatened tend to experience post traumatic stress disorder (Momartin et al, 2004) and refuges who had experienced four or more traumatic circumstances had a significantly higher rate of anxiety, depression,...
Words: 4608 - Pages: 19
...Name Institution Part 1 Statistics show that there are between 130,000 and 200,000 homeless veterans in America. Homeless veterans amount to about one-fourth and one-fifth of the entire homeless population in America. Homeless veterans are a population of Americans who have at one time or the other served their country in war. An estimated 131,000 veterans spend a night homeless, and this population doubles if one considers the population of homeless veterans over the course of the year. An approximate of 40% homeless men are veterans that are a significant considering 34% of the general adult male population is composed of veterans. Besides being homeless, this population faces other problems which include; social, economic, and psychological problems (Alker, 2009). Homeless veterans are more likely to suffer addiction as compared to the general population. According to Alker (2009), 76% of homeless veterans are alcohol or drug addicts. Because of the painful memories and the new reality of homelessness that dawn on them they turn to alcohol and drugs. Coupled with all the problems these homeless veterans experience social problems such as isolation. For this reason, they have no one to share their pains with and, therefore, they rarely receive help for treatable conditions such as addiction (Center for American Progress, 2008). Economic stressors are a root cause of homelessness for American veterans. The skills acquired from their military service, for many, fail to translate...
Words: 2411 - Pages: 10
