...remembering the terrifying sounds and sights of such a traumatic event are signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-Traumatic...
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...When becoming a soldier, the individual is stripped down and then rebuilt as one. Individuality and free thinking are not acceptable in the military. The group (the squad, brigade, branch of the military), is to function as one under the same rules and regulations. They are to follow and strictly abide by these. Each soldier will do as they are told by their commanding officer, and by not doing so will be punished. When a soldier is combat ready, they see things that can be unimaginable to others. War brings death, fear, anger, and aggression. Many soldiers are subject to being fired upon and/or killing others. Non-combat soldiers in combat settings see death of comrades and innocent people. In both situations, soldiers have many emotional and physical stressors that they deal with while at war. Within this paper, we will look at emotional stress in times of war and how they cause severe mental stress. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how it affects the soldier will be discussed as the leading disorder that impedes reintegration into society. Definitions Combat soldiers- Any military persons who have witnessed and/or acted in a time of war. To include, but not limited to being shot upon, killing, witnessing death, and hand to hand. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that may develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which severe physical...
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...Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Survivors of sexual assault may experience severe feelings of anxiety, stress or fear, known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as a direct result of the assault. Substance Abuse Victims of rape or sexual assault may turn to alcohol or other substances in an attempt to relieve their emotional suffering. Self-Harm / Self-Injury Deliberate self-harm, or self-injury, is when a person inflicts physical harm on himself or herself. Stockholm Syndrome Described as a victim’s emotional “bonding” with their abuser, Stockholm Syndrome develops subconsciously and on an involuntary basis. Depression There are many emotional and psychological reactions that victims of rape and sexual assault can experience. One of the most common of these is depression. Sexually Transmitted Infections Table of Sexually Transmitted Infections, their symptoms, treatment, and possible complications. Pregnancy If you were recently raped, you may have concerns about becoming pregnant from the attack. If the rape happened a long time ago, you may have concerns about a pregnancy that resulted from the attack. Flashbacks A flashback is when memories of past traumas feel as if they are taking place in the current moment. Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder, known as BPD, is one of many possible long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse. Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Assault The long term effects on survivors...
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...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...
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...Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can lead to psychological problems in many men and women, and especially veterans, due to traumatic events. “Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened.” (Insel,2001,1) History This disorder is a relatively new diagnostic. In fact, before the diagnosis, veterans called these symptoms “Shell Shock.” It wasn’t until 1980 that the DSM III made Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) an official psychiatric diagnosis for veterans. Diagnostic Statistic Manual is a book used by the medical profession to diagnose a disorder. In 1994, DSM IV includes people that have been in traumatic events such as combat, sexual and physical assault, being held hostage or imprisonment. After the discovery, psychiatrist’s found out that this disorder affects millions of men and women through out the world. (Davis,2003,1) Traumatic Events: Symptoms People with PTSD will have flashbacks that re-experience the event. These flashbacks may be in different types of sensory forms. Usually when a person is experiencing this disorder, they will have a chronic hyper arousal in the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). This can include jumpiness, rapid breathing, accelerated heart beat, and cold sweating. This can lead to loss of appetite, a bad night sleep and even sexual dysfunctions. (Rothschild,1997,6) Doctors often treat these symptoms without...
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...Substance Abuse to cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Military Veterans face many life changing stressors while away on active duty as well as when they return home. To cope with the stress, drugs and alcohol become a way to self-medicate and cover the unseen pain. Substance abuse, because of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), is a coping mechanism for some of the nation’s Veterans, but with proper medical attention, treatment is possible. PTSD can occur after a traumatic event, in which there are four types of symptoms: reliving the event or flashbacks, avoiding situations that may trigger memories, and feeling numb or detached from life (“United States Department of Veteran Affairs”, 2013). Many classifications of drugs are abused to help cope with the different symptoms of PTSD. Unfortunately, substance abuse has negative consequences and in return, increases the stressors experienced once home. Treatment and recovery options are available to make the coping a positive experience. There are several risks associated with serving this country, such as leaving home at a young age, training for combat, seeing explosions, witnessing innocent by standards injured and killed, and attacks by the enemy. Returning home is also stressful for many Veterans; mentally and physically life is different, personalities have changed, and the perspective on beliefs are not as they once had been. Some find themselves easily angered, irritated, and no longer finding joy in...
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...isolation, suicidal thoughts or attempts * Retaliation from the harasser, or colleagues/friends of the harasser, should the victim complain or file a grievance (retaliation can involve revenge along with more sexual harassment, and can involve stalking the complainant) * Having to drop courses, or change academic plans; it may impact grade performance * Increased absenteeism to avoid harassment, or because of illness from the stress * Having one’s personal life held up for public scrutiny – the victim becomes the “accused,” and their dress, lifestyle, and private life will often come under attack. (Note: this rarely occurs for the perpetrator.) * Being objectified and humiliated by scrutiny and gossip * Becoming publicly sexualized * Defamation of character and reputation * Stress impacting relationships with significant others, sometimes resulting in the demise of the relationship; equally, stress on peer relationships and relationships with colleagues * Impact on references/recommendations * Loss of career Post...
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...Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Abstract Posttraumatic stress disorder is a common and disabling disorder that develops as a consequence of traumatic events and is characterized by distressing re-experiencing portions of the trauma, avoidance of reminders, emotional numbing and hyper-arousal. In spite of the deleterious impact of PTSD within the U.S. military, our current understanding of the human pathophysiology governing the divergent paths associated with extreme stress response the remains unabated. Given the widespread phenomenon of ‘trauma’, it begs the question of whether or not preexisting features accompany some suffers who have developed PTSD and why others may or may not face the same effect. Much research has been conducted in this arena and it seems that no one researcher has a definitive cause, much less a standardized treatment approach for PTSD sufferers. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops as a consequence of traumatic events such as interpersonal violence, disaster, severe accidents, or other life-threatening experiences. The most common characteristics of PTSD are the re-experiencing of symptoms linked to a specific event. Patients involuntary re-experience aspects of the traumatic event in a very vivid and distressing way. This includes: flashbacks, in which the person acts or feels as if the event were recurring, nightmares, intrusive images or other sensory impressions from the event. For example...
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...This is a research paper on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in which it explains that the treatment of this mental condition goes beyond regular mental health treatment. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: The War at Home Regina N. Chance Kwoya Fagin, Professor ENG215 Research and Writing 7 August 2010 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Takes Special Medical Care The government is awesome at getting men ready for war, but they can’t quite get them back to civilian life and a humble heart. - JUNIOR ENLISTED MARINE, POST-IRAQ After we came back, many of us were only back in body. Our souls stayed over there. – ARMY COMBAT ENGINEER, POST-IRAQ Transition can mean the big picture of how a warrior has to try to adjust back into society, but the short term is very critical, from when a warrior leaves the battlefield to when they hit the streets at home. If there’s one thing I learned from my experiences, it was that there was no transition at all. –VIETNAM VETERAN Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has become the major medical issue with our soldiers returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. For many soldiers, it is a badge of honor to have served but for most, it is a start to an endless battle of finding the courage to continue to serve or be labeled an unfit soldier for the military and useless to their family. PTSD affects not only the soldier’s way of life but the core of who the soldier is. For this...
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...Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Literature: An Analysis of The Odyssey The Odyssey is one of the most well known stories about war and its effects on the survivors. Homer goes out of his way to share the names and families of fallen soldiers for many reasons. The deaths in The Odyssey are exceptionally bloody and gore-filled, which allows the reader to vividly see the scenes depicted and understand the true horror that violence holds. The war scenes are particularly gruesome and filled with death. The only part of The Odyssey that Homer has left to the reader to venture in to is what Odysseus has going on inside his head. How did the Trojan War affect Odysseus mentally? Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event. PTSD affects most war veterans and has for as long as wars have raged on. Until 1980, when PTSD was first recognized as a mental disorder, people suffering from PTSD were deemed psychologically insane if they were deeply affected. When the Odyssey was written, there was no possible way to diagnose Odysseus with PTSD, though many signs in The Odyssey point to the fact that he would have. Odysseus struggled through many hard times and witnessed many terrifying things during his strife. He witnessed the gory death of at least six of his crew, seeing their skulls bashed open on rocks and their brains...
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...Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Aria Hospital School of Nursing Abstract Post traumatic stress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that affects “5 million people each year,” (Valente, 2010). PTSD effects more women than, with approximately 58% of at risk individuals including combat veterans. If left untreated, PTSD leaves those affected with quality of life issues, social interactions, daily functioning, and psychological issues. Over the years, there has been an increase in the awareness of post traumatic stress, and the impact of its diagnosis, (Bastien, 2010). Treatment relies on a multidimensional approach, including supportive patient education, cognitive therapy, and psychopharmacology. This paper will review PTSD, including clinical manifestations, diagnosis, medical and nursing management and community resources available to those affected by this disease. Description of Disease “Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder with a sustained and dysfunctional emotional reaction to a traumatic event, threat of injury or death, and pain,” (Valente, 2010). A traumatic event can be military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault. Most people who are exposed to a traumatic event will have stress reactions for the immediate days or weeks following the incident, however with some time will be able to deal with the event and return to normal. However, some people will have stress reactions...
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...Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and the Military Tanya Jackson Ener Mid-Continent University PSY 3113Abnormal Psychology December 19, 2011 Abstract Living with PTSD is like waiting for a time bomb to go off. Never knowing what will set it off or how bad it will be. More and more of our military are coming home and being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, more than ever before and understanding the way this disorder manifest itself is necessary for anyone diagnosed with it or living with someone who is diagnosed with it. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a silent but very deadly reality of war that has captured the attention of the American public especially during this time of war. The men and women that are returning from combat are not the same men and women that we sent into combat. They are coming home forever changed by the violence that they have witnessed and experienced, they will never be the same. Just because they may not have a visible injury does not mean that they are not suffering just as much as the soldier with the missing limb, you do not have to be blown up with and IED to sustain lasting effects from a warzone. Due to the escalated violence in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many soldiers are affected by the violence and the trauma associated with conflict. PTSD is defined in the dictionary as a mental condition that can affect a person who has had a very shocking or difficult experience (such as fighting in a war)...
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...University School of Medicine, who created a study based the role of PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans. Their position was that exposure to traumatic stress and combat stress were directly associated with an increase in physical health symptoms. The participants of the study included 2,332 OIF Veterans with 1,201 of these veterans being female. The professors used a series of hierarchical linear regression models to examine the effects of deployment and PTSD symptoms on physical health symptoms. In the conclusion of all there research it was discovered that for both men and women, after accounting for PTSD symptoms, combat stress did not give any unique variance in symptoms. Another big conclusion was that harassment while deployed plays a major role in the diagnosis of PTSD in many veterans. The professors used the information gathered throughout their study to support the fact that harassment was as big of a factor in veterans with PTSD and the combat stresses or experience itself. Their conclusion that they drew is as stated, “This study extends the existing literature by demonstrating the unique influence of harassment stress on physical health outcomes. Specifically, the relationship between combat stress and physical health symptoms appears to be explained mainly by an individual’s experience of PTSD symptoms, whereas the relationship between harassment stress and physical health symptoms is not fully explained by PTSD...
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...panic, fear, and disorder throughout the globe. This disaster, which caused an enormous number of fatalities, was witnessed live by over 100,000 people, with millions more discovering the disturbing news mere hours later (Yehuda, 2002). Thousands of deaths, along with the threat of subsequent attacks and the beginning of a possible world war, left numerous people extremely alarmed and scared for the safety of themselves and their families. Many people exposed to the attacks developed trouble coping with the repercussions and responses to the attacks. It was estimated that approximately 35% of the population directly exposed to this act of terrorism developed, or will develop, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Yehuda, 2002). An event such as the September 11th attack is a prime example of a major traumatic event in recent history that has left Americans and Canadians feeling threatened. Events, whether a large public occurrence such as the one identified above, or an individualistic personal episode, can result in the development of PTSD. PTSD is characterized by a variety of symptoms that last for at least one month, or longer, following a traumatic event (Brady 2004). It can be defined as the trauma itself and an individual’s response to that trauma. It effects the psychological, emotional, social, and physical states of the affected individual and can act as a pathway for other psychological disorders, the most common being major depressive disorder (MDD)(Van Ameringen...
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...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...
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