...A Look into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Rachael S 09/15/2013 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. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm (National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), post-traumatic stress disorder Para 2). It is the consequence of a deeply shocking, threatening, and disturbing experience such as military combat, a serious road accident, sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attack, or natural disasters are all possible causes of the onset of PTSD (MacDonald, 2008). PTSD became a formal diagnosis in 1980 (Lavin, Joanne, page 42). Think about when the Twin Towers went down because of terrorist attack, this had a huge impact on many lives. Many people died or injured that day, and the people that survived the terrorist attack, witnessed bodies burned up by the fire and heard screams of fear and pain. Hurricane Katrina took many lives as well. Katrina caused an abundance of damage like taking and injuring lives, demolishing homes and businesses, flooded the homes that weren’t...
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...flashbacks, recurrent nightmares and avoidance of reminders of the event (Merriam-Webster 2014). PTSD is an anxiety disorder that may develop after a person is exposed to one or more traumatic events, such as sexual assault, serious injury or the threat of death. When the symptoms of PTSD are present for 30 days or more a full diagnoses if given. Symptoms may begin immediately or in the future. While the majority of the population will be exposed to some sort of trauma in their lifetime only few people will develop PTSD (Kessler 1995). With the United States being in conflicts over seas, more and more of our military men and woman are experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder but are ultimately failing to seek the medical help they need and deserve. Symptoms and Prevalence Although PTSD symptoms can begin right after a traumatic event, PTSD is not diagnosed unless the symptoms last for at least one month, and either cause significant distress or interfere with work or home life. In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, a person must have three different types of symptoms: re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance and numbing symptoms, and arousal symptoms (Nebraska department of Veterans Affairs). Re-experiencing Symptoms Re-experiencing symptoms are when a person keeps reliving the traumatic event. People relive trauma in many different ways. Some have certain triggers the cause anxiety. For example a woman who has been raped by a man with numerous tattoos may become distressed...
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...What is PTSD? Post-traumatic stress disorder has been around for a long time. In fact, it was first recorded as Da Costa's syndrome during the American Civil War. Usually associated with military service, PTSD is also called "shell shock" and "battle fatigue." But it doesn't only affect war veterans - it can also affect civilian men, women, and children who have experienced particularly traumatic events. PTSD occurs after a distressing event, like war, terrorism, torture, natural disasters, accidents, chidhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, or rape. Usually the disorder begins within three months of this experience, although the disorder can take years to appear in some cases. Common PTSD effects include extreme fear, depression, and anxiety. Generally, post-traumatic stress lasts only for a short period (6 months) but in some cases the disorder can become chronic and last for years. Post-traumatic stress affects both men and women, and can affect children as well. Women are much more likely to suffer from the disorder though - of those women exposed to a traumatic event, 20% will exhibit symptoms of PTSD, and 30% of those women will develop chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. What Causes PTSD? Post-traumatic stress disorder is caused by a traumatic event. However, there may be other causes of PTSD. In some cases, the sufferer may have been predisposed to development of the disorder before this event occurred. Men and women with a history of drug or alcohol abuse, experiences...
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...Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), once called shell shock or battle fatigue syndrome, is a serious condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened. PTSD is a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness, or horror, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, an accident, war, or natural disaster. Families of victims can also develop PTSD, as can emergency personnel and rescue workers. Most people who experience a traumatic event will have reactions that may include shock, anger, nervousness, fear, and even guilt. These reactions are common; and for most people, they go away over time. For a person with PTSD, however, these feelings continue and even increase, becoming so strong that they keep the person from living a normal life. People with PTSD have symptoms for longer than one month and cannot function as well as before the event occurred. Symptoms of PTSD most often begin within three months of the event. In some cases, however, they do not begin until years later. The severity and duration of the illness vary. Some people recover within six months, while others suffer much longer. Symptoms of PTSD often are grouped into three main categories, including: Reliving: People with PTSD repeatedly relive the ordeal through thoughts and memories of the trauma. These may include flashbacks, hallucinations...
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...Institute of Mental Health, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the name for the acquired mental condition that follows a psychologically distressing event. The root cause of this disorder is a traumatic event which embeds itself firmly in the mind that the person may be bounded by the pain and agony of the event, experiencing it again and again as the mind stays connected with the past rather than the present, which makes it difficult to think of the future. PTSD has different effects that manifest itself in different ways in individuals such as veterans, post-partum women, and 9/11 victims. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that develops after a traumatic event. PTSD has also been called shell shock or battle fatigue. The exact cause of PTSD is unknown; however, it is triggered by exposure to some sort of traumatic event(s). Situations in which a person feels intense fear, helplessness, or horror are considered traumatic. PTSD has been reported in people who experienced, war, rape, sexual abuse, car accident, pregnancy, and much more. Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. People with PTSD experience symptoms of anxiety. Re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms are three types of symptoms that are observed. Re-experiencing symptoms may cause problems in a person’s everyday routine. They can start from the person’s own thoughts and feelings. Words, objects, or situations that are reminders of the...
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...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder March 1, 2015 Abstract PTSD is an anxiety disorder that usually occurs after being exposed to a terrifying event. PTSD is called post-traumatic stress disorder. This anxiety disorder can occur at any point in your life even your childhood. Most people who are enlisted in the military usually suffer from this disorder after being deployed to another country. The symptoms vary from person to person. The symptoms could include flashbacks, emotional feeling and avoidance of the traumatic event. PTSD cause is unknown as of now but it is a psychological, genetic, physical, and social factors that are involved. There are risk factors that may help a person to get PTSD. There are different treatments for PSTD. The treatments that are used for PTSD are using different strategies, medications and or psychotherapy. Medication could cause different side effects such as headaches or sexual problems. Group therapy is the most effective because people can relate to what you are going through. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that occurs after being exposed to a terrifying event or when severe harm or after being threatened. Post-traumatic stress disorder is also known PTSD. Events that may trigger this disorder may come from violent personal assaults, natural or unnatural disasters, accidents, or military combat. Most that's in the military that serve time in another country, usually, suffer from this disorder. Psychology today states...
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...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may at some point be the ones who were harmed, witnesses of harm that occurred to their loved ones or even strangers. Research shows that at some point, those who are victims of the disorder may experience stress and fear even when they are not in danger (Dunkley et al., 2015). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly referred to as PTSD, develops in children, teens, as well as adults. Therefore, it does not have a limit because anyone can develop the disorder. However, adults have proved to experience severe signs and symptoms of the disorder compared with teens and children (Dunkley et al., 2015). Moreover, not everyone with PTSD has experienced or witnessed a terrifying event. However, adults are more likely to develop PTSD than children, particularly after a past trauma. Causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Research shows that PTSD is caused by the past exposure to the traumatic event. However, there are other causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that am going to discuss below. Genetics Some PTSD victims have developed the disorder from genetics alone. Therefore, it has been said that PTSD is hereditary (Pizzimentin& Lattal, 2015). There are some genes that are associated with the creation of fear memories. Scientists say that genes that make the protein called Stathmin which is essential for the formation of fear memories. Also,...
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...POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Abstract This paper offers a clear understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder. Its signs, symptoms, treatment, and preventions. This disorder is commonly known to affect individuals who have been in wars and/or affected by a death of a beloved one. The disorder however varies from person to person in which each uses a different method of approach. It is believed Posttraumatic Disorder (PTSD) is mostly cured through therapeutic treatments, while many of these patients are on antipsychotic drugs which futermore produces unwanted side effects. Individuals with PTSD tend to have problems with transferring short-term to long-term memory. However, there is not a specific way patient memories are affected. PTSD affects more than 3 million people in the U.S alone. This paper will further analyze insights and reports from other experts on managing Posttraumatic stress disorder more proficiently. Introduction This topic center concerns mental and emotional problems people experience in the wake of 'trauma', where trauma is understood to refer to an event involving being a victim of or witness to atrocity, violence, true horror and/or the death of another or near death of one’s self. Examples might include rape, murder, torture, accidents, terrorism, etc. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) describes two trauma disorders: acute stress disorder, and...
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...9/16/2015 MOD 180 OUTLINE A. INTRODUCTION B. SYMPTOMS * Re-experiencing the traumatic event * Avoidance * Increased anxiety * Emotional arousal * Numbing C. CAUSES * War * Car/Plane crashes * Terrorist attacks * Physical/sexual assault * Sudden death of a loved one * Risk and resilience factors D. TREATMENTS * Cognitive processing therapy * Medication E. CONCLUSION Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, more commonly known as PTSD, is more common and serious then other people think, it is a disorder that can take over someone’s life and change them as a whole and occurs after experiencing severe trauma or a life-threatening event. It’s normal for the mind and body to be in shock after such an event, but this normal response becomes PTSD when your nervous system gets “stuck.” PTSD is very prevalent in military veterans. In fact, military service is the most common cause of PTSD in men. Close to 30 percent of Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans treated at V.A. hospitals and clinics have been diagnosed with PTSD. For veterans who saw combat, the numbers are even higher, up to 49%. 2 Identifying the signs and symptoms, knowing the causes, and learning about treatment options are the best ways to get a loved one to come out the other side a stronger person then before. There are many signs and symptoms when it comes to PTSD. The three major symptoms to take note of is people Re-experiencing the traumatic...
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...often referred to as an organic computer with little or no match in nature or in current technology. A computer is not without its flaws, many issues may arise that can cause that computer to malfunction or at least not perform at peak performance either due to manufacturing, environmental issues, or over use of the machine. Like a computer a human mind can also breakdown due to heredity, environmental issues or the type of stress encountered in certain situations. These breakdowns or malfunctions are known as psychological disorders and they can affect a wide range of people regardless of their background. The disorder that will be looked at in this paper is one that plagues many combat...
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...Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, is a mental illness that affects millions of Americans. PTSD is a disorder that develops when someone experiences a dangerous or scary even occurs. These events can be something like war, assault, or disaster. These leave metal scars in the person’s mind that can be triggered and can cause flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety. One of the most common causes of PTSD is war. This is because when you are in the military you are exposed to horrible and life-threatening experiences. 15 out of every 100 Vietnam Veterans will experience PTSD and 12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans will experience PTSD. This means that around 1,700,000 Vietnam veterans have experienced “clinically serious stress...
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...small contributions to the overall symptoms of PTSD. For example, stathmin (STMN1) is a protein with a main function of overseeing the remodeling of a cell's cytoskeleton. Stathmin has also been found to help form responses to fear and anxiety stimuli. (Stathmin, a gene) In addition to stathmin, Gastrin- releasing peptide (GRP) is another gene that has an effect on PTSD. Alterations in GRP have an impact on fear-related responses and can help alleviate them. (Role of) Also, 5-HTTLPR is an additional gene that has correlation with PTSD. 5-HTTLPR can have an effect on the daily stress level on an individual. Changes in these genes can cause a change in severity in patients with PTSD. (Daily...
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...The meaning of Post- traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) is a type of a mental illness that comes from a experiencing in a major traumatize event in life that can cause a victim to cope leaving them at the mercy of their worst fears. Most of the times that who has PTSD are this person who has served in the military. This person has dealing with particularly horrendous war and combat situation. There is much other type of life experiences that are blame to offset the PTSD. When the PTSD can be unexpected and cannot be controlled, which they are a type of candidate for PTSD. This type of illness not only impact on the person that has PTSD, it also affords other people that are dealing with the person who has PTSD. Example of these people who are there medical personnel giving care of the patients, family members, or co-workers. Some of the event that triggers the PTSD could become violent assault, a major accident such as sexual abuse, natural disaster, and rape, car crash ("Types Of Traumatic Events", 2009).History of the Illness The post traumatic stress disorder is a legitimate and can functional diagnose but is not the only answer to a trauma event. This type of disorder is frequency in the ordinary population is between 1-8%. This type of disorder is a type of linked with excessive rates of harm in the social and job-related operation. This type of disorder can be distinguished from a further psychiatric condition as a chemical substance in a living organisms...
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...Stress Disorder also known as (PTSD) is a very common disorder. Normally when this diagnosis is being heard or said, many people relate it to a solder when coming home from fighting in a war. However this disorder is one of the most common diagnosed psychiatric disorders, and that it is estimated that about eight percent of the United States population suffers from PTSD. It can not be stressed enough that just because you are not from the army does not mean that you can not be diagnosed with this disorder, and that anybody whom as been through a traumatic event or even witnessed one can have a small part of PTSD Through psychological studies, knowledge has been provided of what PTSD symptoms are, and what methods there are to help those suffering from it. First it is important to understand what Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is. It is usually classified as “A type of anxiety disorder that stays with the victim even when danger no longer exists. “ (NIMH, n.d.) “PTSD can occur when someone suffers a severe mental or physical shock, leaving the person depressed, anxious, and angry.” (CVT News, 2012) The brain naturally has what is called the “Fight or Flight” instinct when dealing with fear. The problem is that when even when the danger is no longer around it can cause he victim to still feel threatened and scared. This disorder can last anywhere from a few weeks to even several years down the road. When most people hear that someone has PTSD they tend to think that the person...
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...Using Meditation to Treat PTSD Att Yuwana PSY/315 9 July 2015 Vivian Surwill Using Meditation to Treat PTSD It is no secret that our men and women of the military may suffer from a traumatic experience. According to the VA, the numbers are as follows: • Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF): About 11-20 out of every 100 Veterans (or between 11-20%) who served in OIF or OEF have PTSD in a given year. Gulf War (Desert Storm): About 12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans (or 12%) have PTSD in a given year. • Vietnam War: About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam Veterans (or 15%) were currently diagnosed with PTSD at the time of the most recent study in the late 1980s, the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS). It is estimated that about 30 out of every 100 (or 30%) of Vietnam Veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime. (How Common is PTSD? (n.d.) Many have tried to come up with an effective treatment to help our service members suffering through PTSD. Although there are many types of treatment therapy and medication, this article will focus on using forms of meditation like Transcendental Meditation (TM) or yoga to help veterans suffering through PTSD. Veterans with PTSD There are many forms of treatment, the most common being a combination of therapy and medication. However as in all treatments in psychology, not all people respond well and others don’t find it effective. This causes many veterans to stop seeking treatment...
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