Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a very serious and debilitating condition that occurs after a person has been exposed to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical danger happened or was threatened. The kinds of traumatic events triggering PTSD in people include violent personal assaults (rape, mugging), natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes), man-made disasters (bombings), accidents or military combat. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair a person’s daily life. PTSD is a complicated illness by the act that it frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. PTSD is not a new disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a relatively new diagnosis that was associated with survivors of war when it was first introduced. Its diagnosis was met largely with skepticism and dismissal by the public of the validity of the illness. PTSD was only widely accepted when it was included as a diagnosis in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) of the American Psychiatric Association. PTSD is a complex mental disorder that develops in response to exposure to a severe traumatic event that stems a cluster of symptoms. Being afflicted with the disorder is debilitating, disrupting an individual’s ability to function and perform the most basic tasks.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, more commonly known as PTSD, is a mental disorder that produces anxiety through the experience of life threatening situations, such as terrorist incidents, natural disasters, military combat, physical or sexual abuse as a child, and serious accidents that could result in a death of a close friend or family member (What is PTSD? 1). PTSD patients will have symptoms that will develop stress reactions. As time progresses, the symptoms may get worse and will not go away on their own. Major symptoms produce a negative change in beliefs and feelings. Such symptoms include aggressive behavior, feelings of detachment, inability to converse the experienced trauma, distorted blame, a negative outlook on the world and on others, and crucial trust issues (Symptoms of PTSD 1). In addition to these symptoms, patients may also experience additional disorders such as depression, drug abuse, and physical or mental difficulties for the rest of their lives. They will most likely be impaired of the ability to function socially with friends, strangers, or even family (What is PTSD? 1). Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial for the patient to avoid long-term symptoms. But, many people can go years without seeking treatment or knowing of their condition (What is PTSD? 1). Usually, symptoms begin to occur following the traumatic event, but PTSD cannot be diagnosed until there is a disturbance in everyday life or there has been a showing of symptoms for at least a month (PTSD: National Center for PTSD 1). With time, PTSD can be treated with psychotherapy and antidepressant medications, but can not be completely cured (What is PTSD? 1). PTSD presents several symptoms that are clearly portrayed through Holden Caulfield in ...

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a somewhat new title for a condition that has affected combat veterans throughout the history of warfare. Studying the evolution of PTSD allows us to learn how we can better support individuals, specifically United States military veterans, who are affected by this disorder today. Through the history of treating this disorder, new treatments were discovered and ways to handle the symptoms. The psychiatric community is still learning about PTSD and the harmful effects of having the disorder.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Definition of illness: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as “PTSD” is classified as an anxiety disorder in which a person has in the past experienced a stressful event such as a war, rape or physical and emotional abuse (Schiraldi, 2009). The DSM-V states that by witnessing, being involved or knowing a family member or friend that experienced such event can result into PTSD and involves a response of intense fear, helplessness or horror. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Individuals who have suffered from PTSD experience episodic memories of the unsafe events that they had to endure and tend to avoid anything that may remind them of the event (Schiraldi, 2009).

“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)

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, what is it really? The initial reaction to this disorder would be stress that has been over exerted and caused a traumatic experience. Kay Jankowsi (2010) verbalized that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be traced back to ancient times. Documentation in the historical medical literature started with the Civil War, where PTSD-like disorder was known as “Da Costa’s Syndrome (Jankowsi 2010). Jankowsi (2010) proclaims that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events (gospelassemblyfree.com). Jankowsi (2010) correspondingly goes on to list military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, and violent personal assaults like rape to be reasons for PSTD (gospelassemblyfree.com).

What is PTSD? Post-Traumatic Stress Di-sorder is a syndrome exp-erienced by many veter-ans, and is a priority of a plethora of psychological researchers. The Diag-nostic and Statistical Man-ual of Mental disorders lis-ts eight criterion for this widespread mental dis-ease, including a stressor, meddling symptoms, ev-asion, amendments in provocation and react-ivity, and a duration of symptoms for more than a month. PTSD is often characterized by disrupt-ions in sleep patterns, with the traumatic event fre-quently popping up in the veterans’ nightmares.

Military PTSD: Reasons and Methods Used to Help Troops Cope For the past decade, the United States of America has been a participant in an ongoing war, sending military troops for combat in many areas throughout the globe. Due to the ongoing events overseas, troops are subject to serve multiple tours, forcing some to return to combat shortly after their arrival back to the United States. After arriving home from their served tours, military troops often find themselves in a constant battle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Post-Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD), is an anxiety disorder resulting from a life threatening traumatic event.

At the minimum, PTSD is a branch of emotion that stems from stress or anxiety. Stress is not uncommon among humans as it can be caused by something as simple as gridlock or an argument. When we feel stressed, our body is attuned to exhibit the fight-or-flight response during which "the body releases chemicals that make it tense, alert, and ready for action" (1). PTSD, however, is a sector of stress that is very specialized for it occurs after traumatic events; these may include car accidents, earthquakes, rape, or military combat. People suffering from PTSD experience paranoia, flashbacks and generally have difficulty engaging in normal daily activities (2). One Vietnam veteran diagnosed with the disorder explains that he often has extreme emotional outbursts: " 'I developed a nasty temper, became very nervous...