Overview of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Description and History Trauma and stress has been a part of the human condition since we evolved as a species. A “fight-or-flight” response to trauma and stress is a healthy reaction that is meant to protect us from danger. Whether from a saber tooth tiger attack, combat, or a terrorist attack, such events will certainly produce similar psychological effects. However individuals who develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may continue to feel tormented when they are no longer in danger. PTSD is not a new concept and we can see indication of this disorder as far back as The Bible (the Book of Job), the Mahabharata, Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. As the years passed, new names were given to this disorder. For example, names like, ‘Soldiers Heart’, ‘Estar Roto’, ‘Combat Exhaustion’ and ‘Shell Shock’. Perhaps the most infamous was ‘Shell Shock’. Before mental illness was understood, soldiers returning from war who were not able to recover were labeled as useless and weak. It was not until the modern warfare of World War I and the rise of modern psychology when experts realized the existence of a mental illness (Gersons, 1992). In 1915 Charles Myers coined the term “Shell Shocked” to describe solders that were fearful, crying and had persistent memory intrusions. The name ‘shell shock’ was given due to the thought that the explosions of ammunition, bombs, and concussive force were affecting soldiers. It was not until World War II and then the Vietnam War when researchers realized this problem could be an “anxiety disorder” rather than a short-term adjustment (Trimble, 1986). These wars were a huge boost to PTSD research, because you could find a large number of people suff... ... middle of paper ... ...ir. Perf. Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini and Rosie Perez. Warner Bro., 1993. Videocassette. Gersons, B. P., and I. V. Carlier. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: The History of a Recent Concept." The British Journal of Psychiatry 161.6 (1992): 742-48. Print. Kuhne, Arthur, Elizabeth Baraga, and John Czekala. "Completeness and Internal Consistency of DSM-III Criteria for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder." Journal of Clinical Psychology 44.5 (1988): 717-22. Print. Schwartz, Lee S. "A Biopsychosocial Treatment Approach to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder." Journal of Traumatic Stress 3.2 (1990): 221-38. Print. Trimble, M. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the War Veteran Patient." Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 49.7 (1986): 851. Print. Turnbull, Gordon J. "The Biology of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder." Psychiatry 5.7 (2006): 221-24. Print.
Whealin, J.M., Decarvahlo, L.T. and Edward, M.V. (2008) Clinician’s Guide to Treating Stress After War. New-Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, pp.20-30.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), originally associated with combat, has always been around in some shape or form but it was not until 1980 that it was named Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and became an accredited diagnosis (Rothschild). The fact is PTSD is one of many names for an old problem; that war has always had a severe psychological impact on people in immediate and lasting ways. PTSD has a history that is as long and significant as the world’s war history - thousands of years. Although, the diagnosis has not been around for that long, different names and symptoms of PTSD always have been. Some physical symptoms include increased blood pressure, excessive heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, diarrhea, problems with vision, speech, walking disorders, convulsive vomiting, cardiac palpitations, twitching or spasms, weakness and severe muscular cramps. The individual may also suffer from psychological symptoms, such as violent nightmares, flashbacks, melancholy, disturbed sleep or insomnia, loss of appetite, and anxieties when certain things remind them such as the anniversary date of the event (Peterson, 2009).
The article under review is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the DSM-5: Controversy, Change, and Conceptual Considerations by Anushka Pai, Alina M. Suris, and Carol S. North in Behavioral Sciences. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault (U.S. Department VA, 2007). PTSD can happen to anyone and many factors can increase the possibility of developing PTSD that are not under the person’s own control. Symptoms of PTSD usually will start soon after the traumatic event but may not appear for months or years later. There are four types of symptoms of PTSD but may show in different
Tworus, R., Szymanska, S., & Ilnicki, S. (2010). A Soldier Suffering from PTSD, Treated by
Marks, Lovell, Noshirvani, Livanou, and Thrasher (1998) did their study on the, “Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder by Exposure and/or Cognitive Restructuring.” Marks et al. (1998) main purpose for the study was to answer questions from controlled studies of posttraumatic stress disorder concern the value of cognitive restructuring alone without prolonged exposure therapy and whether its combination with prolonged exposure is enhancing. In the study, 87 patients with posttraumatic
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is defined by our book, Abnormal Psychology, as “an extreme response to a severe stressor, including increased anxiety, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and symptoms of increased arousal.” In the diagnosis of PTSD, a person must have experienced an serious trauma; including “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation.” In the DSM-5, symptoms for PTSD are grouped in four categories. First being intrusively reexperiencing the traumatic event. The person may have recurring memories of the event and may be intensely upset by reminders of the event. Secondly, avoidance of stimuli associated with the event, either internally or externally. Third, signs of mood and cognitive change after the trauma. This includes blaming the self or others for the event and feeling detached from others. The last category is symptoms of increased arousal and reactivity. The person may experience self-destructive behavior and sleep disturbance. The person must have 1 symptom from the first category, 1 from the second, at least 2 from the third, and at least 2 from the fourth. The symptoms began or worsened after the trauma(s) and continued for at least one
Monson CM, Schnurr PP, Resick PA, Friedman MJ, Young-Xu Y, Stevens SP. Cognitive processing therapy for veterans with military-related posttraumatic stress disorder. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2013;74(5):898-907.
Hundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (“Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD” 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of these cases go untreated because of the disgrace that the military and civil society attach to mental disorders (McGirk 1). The general population of the world has to admit that they have had a nightmare before. Imagine not being able to sleep one wink because every time you close your eyes you are forced to relive memories from the past that you are trying to bury deep. This is what happens to the unfortunate men and women who are struggling with PTSD. Veterans that are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder deserve the help they need.
Stapleton, J. A., Taylor, S., & Asmundson, G. G. (2006). Effects of three PTSD treatments on
When most people who are aware of PTSD think of the disorder, military soldiers and veterans are the first to come to mind as those who suffer from it. However, as mentioned in the introduction, PTSD is universal. It does not discriminate based on career, gender, location or so forth. A person becomes more susceptible to developing PTSD if he or she has been directly exposed to the trauma as a victim or a witness. Examples of events that can lead to a person developing PTSD are traumatic car accidents, natural disasters, violence – including domestic and warfare, rape, sexual abuse, school shootings, or any other event that causes the person to feel out of control and in danger. Other factors that increase the likelihood of developing PTSD are whether or not the person was seriously injured, the length of the event, if the person believed a loved one or self were in imminent danger and were helpless in avoiding or protecting themselves or others from the trauma. Yet there are even more contributor...
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as a psychological response resulting from exposure to a traumatic event or extreme stressor where an individual has felt significant fear, hopelessness or horror. While a number of events can trigger PTSD, this practicum is focussed on PTSD within the military community, primarily resulting from combat exposure. The three distinct categories
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after a traumatic event (Riley). A more in depth definition of the disorder is given by Doctor’s Nancy Piotrowski and Lillian Range, “A maladaptive condition resulting from exposure to events beyond the realm of normal human experience and characterized by persistent difficulties involving emotional numbing, intense fear, helplessness, horror, re-experiencing of trauma, avoidance, and arousal.” People who suffer from this disease have been a part of or seen an upsetting event that haunts them after the event, and sometimes the rest of their lives. There are nicknames for this disorder such as “shell shock”, “combat neurosis”, and “battle fatigue” (Piotrowski and Range). “Battle fatigue” and “combat neurosis” refer to soldiers who have been overseas and seen disturbing scenes that cause them anxiety they will continue to have when they remember their time spent in war. It is common for a lot of soldiers to be diagnosed with PTSD when returning from battle. Throughout the history of wars American soldiers have been involved in, each war had a different nickname for what is now PTSD (Pitman et al. 769). At first, PTSD was recognized and diagnosed as a personality disorder until after the Vietnam Veterans brought more attention to the disorder, and in 1980 it became a recognized anxiety disorder (Piotrowski and Range). There is not one lone cause of PTSD, and symptoms can vary from hallucinations to detachment of friends and family, making a diagnosis more difficult than normal. To treat and in hopes to prevent those who have this disorder, the doctor may suggest different types of therapy and also prescribe medication to help subside the sympt...
Boone, Katherine. "The Paradox of PTSD." Wilson Quarterly. 35.4 (2011): 18-22. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an injury to combat that will likely be present in social work practice with military service members and veterans. The implications of PTSD and the stigma of mental health within the military is important for me to understand regardless of whether I chose to work with military members or not. According to Van der Kolk (1996), PTSD is the aftermath to experiencing an intensity-distressing event. Taking combat into consideration, PTSD and other mental health concerns are a common result to the exposure of combat. According to a 2008 Rand Corporation study, symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other re-adjustment stressors are common among nearly ¼ of military members (as cited in Reyes, 2011). According to Reyes (2011), combat exposure and PTSD cause the service member to struggle finding one’s “self” due to a disturbed identity structure, distorted belief system of self, interactions with family members, and perceptions of the world.
There are hundreds of different kinds of psychiatric disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV). One of them is called Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Based on the research, post-traumatic disorder usually occurs following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape (Harvard Women’s Health Watch, 2005). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the risk factors, pathophysiology, clinical manifestation, diagnostic criteria and tests, treatment, prognosis and future research and approaches to treat this psychiatric illness of post-traumatic stress disorder.