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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Analysis

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According to Discovering Psychology- Chapter 13, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder triggered by exposure to a highly traumatic event that results in a recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive memories of the event; avoidance of stimuli and situations associated with the event; negative changes in thoughts or moods or emotions; and a persistent state of heightened physical arousal (Hockenbury & Nolan, 2016, p. 546/547). Society has always been aware of PTSD, especially in soldiers who have recently returned from war. However, it was not until the 1980’s when PTSD was finally identified as a disorder with specific symptoms. In recent findings, studies showed that 20% of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans, …show more content…
There are about 44.7 million people in the U.S. today struggling with PTSD, and the demand for treatment is continuing to grow (PTSD Statistics, 2013). The National Institute of Mental Health states that women are at a greater risk for developing PTSD following sexual assault and/or domestic violence, while men are at a greater risk following military (Hodgkins, 2015). First, PTSD was linked to only military combat personnel, but doctors have found that people who were victims of abuse, car crashes, and terrorist attacks can also get PTSD. Other PTSD victims can follow traumatic events such as, natural disasters, life-threatening illness, and being taken hostage. Along with soldiers, police, fire, and ambulance workers can also develop PTSD (Hockenbury & Nolan, 2016, pg. 546/547). PTSD has also been observed in children living in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and in the Middle East in the war zone (Hockenbury & Nolan, 2016, pg. …show more content…
People with a family history of psychological disorders are more likely to develop PTSD after experience a trauma. The severity of the trauma also plays an important role in whether or not victims will develop PTSD (Hockenbury & Nolan, 2016, pg. 546/547). The first symptom of a PTSD patient is that they avoid situations or actions that would trigger memories of the traumatic experience. Another symptom is the patient frequently recalls the event. The third possible symptom of someone with PTSD is that they may experience a negative change in their emotions, mood, and thoughts. The final symptoms include, the person is easily startled, has problems concentrating, disturbed sleep, and can be prone to angry outbursts (Hockenbury & Nolan, 2016, pg. 546/547). The intense and disturbed thoughts/feelings a PTSD patients might develop can last long after the traumatic event has ended, and can start right after the traumatic experience. Most of the time, they recall the trauma through flashbacks or nightmares. PTSD patients might also feel fear, or be angry and detached/estranged from other people (Parekh, 2017). There are more cases of PTSD in older adults compared to children (Hodgkins,

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