Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder mostly develops after a person is exposed to a horrible or terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm, death, or any other threat (Dunkley et al., 2015). Therefore, I can argue out that it is a mental illness that develops after some traumatic events. However, not everyone who has experienced or witnessed some traumatic event has this disorder. Those who develop 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, researchers suggest that there is a version of the 5-HTTLPR gene, which controls the levels of serotonin, a brain chemical related to mood, tends to trigger the fear response. Therefore, these genes are passed from one generation to another that is, from parent to child. Hence, these genes have the likelihood of causing PTSD. Also, if a parent has a mental illness, there is the likelihood that his or her children may develop the condition because of the genes (Pizzimentin& Lattal, 2015).
Bullying
Many children are affected by PTSD after been bullied by other children in schools, streets, and other places. When the children are bullied, they tend to have fear, and it affects most of them. Therefore, they develop PTSD because they rapidly have flashbacks of such events (Pizzimentin& Lattal, 2015). Bullying does not only takes place in children schools but, it also takes place in high schools, colleges, as well as universities. When bullied, fear takes root in these individuals, and it turns into the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Terrifying ordeals or events
Today, many individuals develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because of some past, terrifying ordeals. Such events include road accidents, military combat, naturally occurring disasters, terrorist attacks, sexual abuse, as well as witnessing violent killings and deaths (Pizzimentin& Lattal, 2015). When people survive some severe road accidents, they rapidly have flashbacks about it, and this may lead to PTSD. Moreover, most of those who witness violent deaths, killings, as well as terrorist attacks develop the disorder because these individuals keep on vividly remembering such terrifying events, and they live in fear increasing the risk of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Pizzimentin& Lattal, 2015).
Also, hostages and those who experience sex assaults develop PTSD. They often have flashbacks of these inhuman acts and remember what happened to them during such occasions. They live in fear and panic as they tend to develop PTSD (Dunkley et al., 2015). Many of the individuals that had been held hostage or assaulted don’t like remembering these terrifying events that at some point may have ruined their lives. Therefore, such frightening and horrible events make the victims have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and they are highly affected by the illness.
Variances in Adrenaline levels
Moreover, continuous production of adrenaline may cause PTSD. Scientists have proved that some people produce the fight or flight hormones even when they are not in danger at all (Dunkley et al., 2015). Victims of PTSD have abnormal production and levels of stress hormones that include adrenaline, which triggers an immediate reaction in the body. Therefore, it has been proved that rapid production of adrenaline results to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because the body does not react to any danger at all.
Changes in the Brain
When the parts of the brain that control emotions is affected or changes, the individual is more likely to develop PTSD because his or her emotions are not processed or monitored. Therefore, the individuals’ brain has a malfunctioning hippocampus that does not properly process flashbacks and nightmares making anxiety and fear prevalent (Dunkley et al., 2015).
Signs and Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Many victims of PTSD tend to find their signs and symptoms prevalent and severe with time. It is true to say that the signs and symptoms of PTSD may occur immediately after the traumatic event, after some time or even after years to appear. Therefore, the symptoms appear without a specific time. These symptoms can be grouped into four groups that I am going to discuss below.
Avoidance
PTSD has avoidance symptoms that may include trying to avoid thinking or narrating about the terrifying event. This includes talking about it to family members, friends, as well as counselors. This is a symptom that is common to many of the PTSD victims because they feel bad when remembering such horrible ordeals. Another avoidance symptom includes avoiding people and place that make you remember the terrifying events.
Changes in the way of reacting to emotions
The arousal symptoms are overwhelming guilt, overdrinking, lack of concentration, anger, as well as being frightened at ease (Sareen, 2014). These symptoms make the victim of PTSD restless on many occasions, and the individual tends to be stressed by a lot of things that may not be known by the public. There is, therefore, the possibility that those showing such symptoms are PTSD victims.
Negativity in mood and thinking
Moreover, there are symptoms that are related to the mood sand thinking of those affected by PTSD. Such symptoms include lack of hope about the future, lack of interest in hobbies or past activities that you enjoyed, memory lapse, as well as having negative feelings about others and also yourself (Sareen, 2014). These symptoms are because of depression and a lot of stress that makes the individual to be desperate and hopeless. When such people show these symptoms, it is good for their families or friends to give them company because they can commit suicide or engage in violent behavior. These symptoms may become severe, and the individuals may go mad because most of them tend to have no interest in anything at all (Sareen, 2014).
Symptoms of intrusive memories
These symptoms include distressing memories of the terrifying event, flashbacks, violent reactions to people or something that reminds you of the traumatic event, as well as nightmares (Sareen, 2014). These symptoms appear because the victims tend to see or have the feeling that the traumatic event is happening again. Therefore, they respond to it at once and recover their senses in a bit of shock and fear. These symptoms appear after the PTSD victims have memories of the horrible events they may have experienced.
Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The disorder can be treated or control in some ways as we are going to see. The treatments help the victims to feel better and manage their symptoms with ease. They include:
Psychotherapy
Some therapies have been introduced so as to treat PTSD effectively. These therapies include cognitive and exposure therapies, as well as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (Sareen, 2014). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing help the hippocampus to function properly in the brain and process the flashbacks and nightmares (McGuire et al., 2014). In cognitive therapy, the victim learns to change the traumatic thoughts and reduces stress. Moreover, exposure therapy involves continuous speaking about the horrifying event many times until you no longer have fear about the traumatic event again (Mabey & Servellen, 2014). Therefore, counseling is the best choice for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because the individual overcomes the fear caused by the horrible memories, and he or she can control the symptoms.
Medications
The symptoms of PTSD can also be improved by some medications. These medications include prazosin, anti-anxiety medications, as well as antidepressants (Sareen, 2014). Antidepressants improve the symptoms of anxiety and depression. They also make the victims sleep well and improve concentration. Antidepressants that treat PTSD include paroxetine and sertraline. Anti-anxiety medications, on the other hand, eradicate the symptoms of stress, anxiety and fear. However, they are not highly advice because they are prone to abuse. Prazosin is a drug that solves symptoms like nightmares and insomnia that are prevalent in PTSD patients. It has, however, not being approved by the Food and Drug Administration for PTSD treatment.
Conclusion
As we have seen, the disorder may be severe and can cause serious problems if not attended to at the right time. The victims should seek for treatment or medication before the condition goes beyond control. Moreover, those that have developed the illness should be accepted by the society and given company at all times. Therefore, it is normal to develop the disorder but, it can be addressed in a more simple and ideal manner.

References
Dunkley, B. T., Sedge, P. A., Doesburg, S. M., Grodecki, R. J., Jetly, R., Shek, P. N., & ... Pang, E. W. (2015). Theta, Mental Flexibility, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Connecting in the Parietal Cortex. Plos ONE, 10(4), 1-17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0123541
Mabey, L., & Servellen, G. (2014). Treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in patients with severe mental illness: A review. International Journal Of Mental Health Nursing, 23(1), 42-50. doi:10.1111/inm.12007
McGuire, T. M., Lee, C. W., & Drummond, P. D. (2014). Potential of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychology Research & Behavior Management, 7273-283. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S52268
Pizzimenti, C. L., & Lattal, K. M. (2015). Epigenetics and memory: causes, consequences and treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction. Genes, Brain And Behavior, (1), 73.
Sareen, J. (2014). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adults: Impact, Comorbidity, Risk Factors, and Treatment. Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, 59(9), 460-467.