The name on my birth certificate reads Kaitlyn Krystal Ransom, but when I was born it read Kaitlyn Samantha Burns, and now most people just call me Kai. When you look at me, I am a five foot, four inch ball of fluffy grandpa sweaters and shy smiles. I don't look like the type of person to be considered "mentally ill", except maybe if I had what I like to call the "cute" disorders. "Cute" disorders, for me, are categorized by disorders that people pity or romanticize. Anything that can be "treated" temporarily with soft animals and smiling at strangers and doing anything possible to make oneself feel better is a "cute" disorder. My disorder, though, is far less adorable.
I have post-traumatic stress disorder, which leads to the occasional violent
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Each time I met someone with PTSD in Colorado, they were always twenty to thirty years older than me, a war veteran, or something along those lines. I felt terribly alone with the whole situation. As I got older things only got worse, especially with puberty. As a very small child, I was sexually abused, and I grew up with knowledge of the incident, but rarely paid it any mind until I was in middle school. That's when the flashbacks started, and I began to criticize every inch of my skin, uncomfortable with every aspect of my being. I didn't tell anyone, assuming it was just how puberty went for everyone, and simply retreated into a shell of a person, going through the motions in school and acted like everything was fine. Even at home, my parents rarely suspected …show more content…
I made it all the way until my sophomore year before the PTSD really tackled me. That was the first time I had ever failed a class, and on top of everything I failed not only one course, but two. That's when I realized I needed to talk to someone. I had given up on therapy long ago, probably around the age of eight because it was so expensive just to go and talk to someone, but I still approached my mom about things. I felt defeated and broken, but my mother - who had adopted me at six and looked after me since I was two - insisted that everything would be all right. My adoptive father was busy working, but he was there every step of the way with my mother, trying to get past the little flaws and kinks in my brain and
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, persists as a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witness of a life-threatening event such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood (Ptsd.ne.gov). This disorder transpires in numerous groups of people. It had first been brought to public attention in relation to war
Stupid, retarded, crazy, insane; throughout time, these words are used to explain the behaviors of the mentally ill. These are just words, right? Actually, these words can have hurtful connotations. Since the first individual with a mental illness walked this earth until now, hurtful labels have been assigned to them. But society does not stop with just words, there are also unfavorable mannerisms used to explain visually, stupid, retarded, crazy, or insane. These descriptive words and mannerisms used in jest amongst friends can cause distress to anyone who bears witnesses to include an individual who is intellectually disabled or mentally fragile. If we look at it from the perspective of the intellectually disabled, they have been
“Studies show that PTSD occurs in 1%-14% of the population. It can be diagnosed at any age, and can occ...
The investigators sought out potential subjects through referrals from psychiatric hospitals, counseling centers, and psychotherapists. All potential subjects were screened with a scripted interview and if they met all the inclusion criteria they met with an investigator who administered the Clinical-Administered PTSD Scale(CAPS) to provide an accurate diagnosis. In the end the study ended up with 12 subject, 10 females and 2 males with a mean age of 41.4, that met the criteria for PTSD with treatment resistant symptoms, which were shown with a CAPS score of greater than or equal to 50.
It is important to understand when discussing this topic what exactly Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is, and how one obtains it. When someone has PTSD, their sense of fear and stress are tampered with; even when not in danger, the person with the disorder may feel as though they are. It is as if the victims are suffering from delayed trauma. Several risk factors can lead to this: experiences with dangerous events/traumas, history of mental illness, physical pain, witnessing the injuries/deaths of others, feeling horror, helplessness, or extreme fear, little to no support after the trigger event, experiencing extra stress after the event...
According to the PTSD Fact Sheet ”PTSD was once considered a psychological condition of combat veterans who were “shocked” by and unable to face their experiences on the battle field” (Fact Sheet Page 1). Over the years with additional research and discoveries PTSD has now become a much more common diagnosis for many anxiety sufferers. According to the National Center for PTSD “Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening even can develop PTSD. These events can include: combat or military exposure, child sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents such as a car wreck, or natural disasters.” (National Center for PTSD). Each individual is different and not everyone who lives through a traumatic event will developed PTSD. Some of the determination factors if an individual will develop PTSD vary based on how intense a trauma was, if the individual lost someone they were close with, how strong the individuals reaction was and how much support the individual received after the event. (National Center for PTSD)
The first large occurrences of PTSD were in the 1910’s. During World War I, PTSD was common amongst veterans of trench warfare. It was referred to as “shell-shock”, which was originally believed to be caused by the sounds of artillery fire, according to Nancy C Andreasen. World War II had even more cases due to the use of more weapons, bombs, and smaller squads, which caused less social interaction. It was then that the government realized that PTSD in veterans, or more commonly called “combat exhaustion”, can effect anybody, not just the weak minded. The Vietnam War experienced the most victims, however. Each battalion had a mental heath therapist, which helped immensely through the early years of the war. However, the citizens questioned the legality of the war, and soldiers were disgraced. They returned home and recieved no appreciation, and a loss in socialization. Roughly one in three soldiers had post-traumatic stress disorder, and 15 percent still had the condition 20 years later. More recent events have also spiked PTSD cases; terrorism. 9/11 caused global fear for everyone, but also caused over ten thousand cases of PTSD in first responders and bystanders. Research and treatment improved vastly over the years, with treatments working on patients who have access to
Post-Traumatic Stress disorder is very common, and according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “About 8 million adults have PTSD during a given year, and about 7 or 8 out of every 100 people (or 7-8% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.”
There are many different causes of PTSD such as sexual abuse, sudden death of a loved one, and war. Trauma affects people in different ways, some can develop it from watching a fellow soldier being killed, and some can develop it from losing their jobs or a divorce. Being diagnosed with PTSD is a difficult process because there are many other psychological disorders whose symptoms can overlap and are very similar. An important fact to remember is that PTSD doesn’t just affect the person suffering; it can also have secondhand effects on their spouses, children, parents, friends, co-workers, and other loved ones. Although there is no direct cure, there are many treatment and alternative treatment options to assist them in moving forward after a trauma.
...I became so overwhelmed, thinking I could try and pick up my grades, but it was too late for me. I was then failing all of my classes. My mom would call me and check up on me, I would lie of course and tell her that I was doing well all while everything was crashing down on me. I lost all hope, I completely stopped caring. I didn’t even go to my final exams; I knew there was no hope for me. I dropped out. I messed up my GPA horribly. I took a year off and just gave myself some time to mature then reapplied for school at Chattahoochee.
PTSD has been around for many years, and is not only related to war, but also referred to by different names, “Shell Shock” or “battle fatigue.” Over a course of many years there have been reports of soldiers fleeing the battle grounds or having emotional backgrounds before this psychological disorder was ever discovered. In the History of PTSD by Darlene Zagata, she explains about soldiers during the civil war were sent home during such emotional breakdowns without supervision and were dismissed as being cowards or having a lack of discipline. A large number of veterans were affected following the Vietnam War. PTSD was largely disregarded ...
“PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.” (NIMH)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a devastating anxiety disorder that affects many active military personnel and veterans. In many cases Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) goes untreated often due to the individual not realizing that they are being affected by the disorder, or by the individual having previous failed attempts at treatment. Even though PTSD is now being recognized as a disorder that affects many soldiers, the disorder's effect on family is not as widely recognized. The spouses and children of individuals with PTSD often experience similar negative symptoms of the disorder; this is referred to as secondary traumatization or compassion fatigue. Many families of active military personnel and veterans suffering from PTSD appear to have secondary traumatization, as they experience similar symptoms and feelings of loneliness, which leads to them feeling as though they are also suffering from the disorder.
This story about Shelby being stalked by some creepy and unanimous person has been wonderful but did you ever wonder what Shelby’s situation would be like in a further developed society or a past society? Well I will tell you!
i feel the one thing that goes unnoticed in my day to day life is the mental disorder PTSD. also known as Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder the Mayo Clinic describes the mental disorder as a condition that has been triggered by a horrific event which is caused by experiencing first hand or witnessing the event. my father has had this condition for quite some time ever since after coming home from serving in kuwait this has taken a toll on myself and other members of my family it has stopped him from seeing me for years at a time which has left him estranged. what most people don't consider when thinking about PTSD is that not only our brave veterans of war can get PTSD but anyone subjected to a particularly traumatic event for example my step