FREE ESSAY ON POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Have you ever witnessed someone being badly injured or even killed? Have you ever been
involved in a fire, flood, or any other natural disaster? The estimated lifetime
prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among adult Americans is 7.8%, with men
calculating at 5% and women at 10.4%, twice as likely as men to have PTSD at some point
in their lives. This represents a small proportion of those who have experienced at least
one traumatic event, for 60.7% of men and 51.2% of women reported at least one traumatic
event. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur
in victims who experience or witness life-threatening events, and this disorder can be
familiarized with through knowing how it was discovered, the symptoms, and the treatment
of PTSD.
To begin with, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an extremely weakening condition that
affects the body's normal conscience. Reports have shown the traumatic events most often
associated with PTSD in men were rape, war combat exposure, childhood neglect, and
childhood physical abuse. The most common events for women were rape, sexual molestation,
physical attack, being threatened with a weapon, and childhood physical abuse. However,
none of these events consistently produced PTSD in those exposed to it. A particular type
of traumatic event does not necessarily affect different sectors of the 
population in the same way. Some studies show that debriefing people very soon after a
catastrophic event may reduce some of the symptoms of PTSD. A study of 12,000 school
children who lived through a hurricane in Hawaii found that those who received counseling
early on were doing much better two years later than those who did not. People with PTSD
tend to have abnormal levels of important hormones involved in response to stress. When
people are in danger, they produce high levels of natural opiates, which can temporarily
block pain. Scientists have discovered that people with PTSD continue to produce those
higher levels even after the traumatic event has passed. It used to be believed that
people who tend to dissociate themselves from a trauma were showing a healthy response,
but now some researchers suspect that people who experience dissociation may be more
prone to PTSD. PTSD is not a new disorder. There are written accounts of similar symptoms
that go back to ancient times. Also, there is clear documentation in the historical
medical literature starting with the Civil War, where a PTSD-like disorder was known as
Da Costa's Syndome. During World War I it was called shock. Later, in World War II the
disorder received a somewhat more fancy name--battle fatigue. It was not named
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder until after the Vietnam War, when multiple cases of this
syndrome were discovered and researched. PTSD has been researched in 
victims on a civilian side just as much, or even more, than in military soldiers. Rescue
workers involved in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing, survivors of the 1994
California earthquake, the 1997 South Dakota floods, hurricanes Hugo and Andrew, etc.,
are among many who have been treated for the disorder. Families of victims have also been
treated for PTSD.
Moving on, many people with PTSD repeatedly re-experience the ordeal numerous times,
especially when they are exposed to occurrences or objects reminiscent of the traumatic
event. Anniversaries of the event can also trigger symptoms. Most people experience some
of the symptoms of PTSD in the days and weeks following exposure, but the symptoms
generally decrease over time and eventually disappear. However, about 8% of men and 20%
of women go on to develop PTSD, and roughly 30% of these individuals develop a chronic
form that persists throughout their lifetimes. Following a disaster, some children may be
upset at the loss of a favorite toy, blanket, teddy bear, etc. PTSD is diagnosed when
symptoms last more than one month. The most common physical symptoms include irritability
or sudden outbursts of anger, and exaggerated startle responses. These symptoms are known
as being hyper arousal. Recurring nightmares, intrusive daydreams, and flashbacks are
psychological symptoms that are usually found in victims of the disorder. A victim may
also experience 
emotional signs such as feelings of detachment or alienation, depression, and inability
to have loving feelings. Most victims with PTSD try to avoid any reminders or thoughts of
the traumatic event they experienced. The course of chronic PTSD usually involves periods
of symptom increase followed by remission of decrease, although for some individuals
symptoms may be unremitting and severe.
Furthermore, treatment for PTSD typically begins with a detailed evaluation, and
development of a treatment plan that meets the unique needs of the survivor. Generally,
PTSD-specific-treatment is begun only when the survivor is safely removed from a crisis
situation. For instance, if a victim is currently exposed to trauma, such as by ongoing
domestic or community violence, abuse, or homelessness), severely depressed or suicidal,
experiencing extreme panic or disorganized thinking, or in need of drug or alcohol
detoxification, addressing these crisis problems becomes part of the first treatment
phase. Educating trauma victims and their families about how people get PTSD, how PTSD
affects survivors and their loved ones, and other problems that commonly come along with
PTSD symptoms. Understanding that PTSD is a medically recognized anxiety disorder that
occurs in normal individuals under very stressful conditions is essential for effective
treatment. Exposure to the 
event via imagery allows the victim to reexperience the event in a safe, controlled
environment, while also carefully examining their reactions and beliefs in relation to
that event. Another step is examining and resolving strong feelings such as anger, shame,
or guilt, which are common among survivors of trauma.
Teaching the survivor to cope with post-traumatic memories, reminders, reactions, and
feelings without becoming overwhelmed or emotionally numb. Trauma memories usually do not
go away entirely as a result of therapy, but become manageable with new coping skills.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) involves working with cognitiones to change emotions,
thoughts, and behaviors. Pharmacotherapy, or medication, can reduce the anxiety,
depression, and insomnia often experienced with PTSD. In some cases it may help relieve
the distress and emotional numbness caused by trauma memories. Several kinds of
antidepressant drugs have achieved improvement in most, but not all, clinical trials, and
some other classes of drugs have shown promise. Today, no particular drug has emerged as
a definitive treatment for PTSD, although medication is clearly useful for the symptom
relief that makes it possible for victims to participate in psychotherapy. A relatively
new treatment of traumatic memories which involves elements of exposure therapy and
cognitive-behavioral therapy, combined with physical techniques which create an
alteration of 
attention back and forth across the person's mid line is known as Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). While the theory and research are still evolving
with this form of treatment, there is some evidence that the therapeutic element unique
to EMDR, attentional alteration, may facilitate accessing and processing traumatic
material. Group treatment is often an ideal therapeutic setting because trauma survivors
are able to risk sharing traumatic material with the safety, cohesion, and empathy
provided by other survivors. As group members achieve greater understanding and
resolution of their occurrence, they often feel more confident and able to trust. As they
discuss and share coping of trauma-related shame, guilt, rage, fear, doubt, and
self-condemnation, they prepare themselves to focus on the present rather than the past.
Brief psycho dynamic psychotherapy focuses on the emotional conflicts caused by the
traumatic event, particularly as they relate to early life experiences. Through the
retelling of the traumatic event to a calm, empathic therapist, the survivor gets a
greater sense of self-esteem, develops effective ways of thinking and coping, and more
successfully deals with the intense emotions that emerge during therapy. The therapist
helps the victim identify current life situations that set off traumatic memories and
worsen PTSD symptoms. 
In conclusion, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that
can occur in victims who experience or witness life-threatening events, and this disorder
can be familiarized with through knowing how it was discovered, the symptoms, and the
treatment of PTSD. The risk of exposure to trauma has been part of the human condition
since we have evolved as a species. Traumatic events can alter one's personality and way
of living drastically. People who do the healing work realize that with the right
circumstances, issues resurface from the trauma later in life for them to deal with. Tori
Amos' song Me and a Gun on her Earthquakes album release captures how she coped while
being raped. Her ability to put her mind elsewhere helped her survive the abusive crime.
On a more interesting note, unresolved trauma also tends to reappear in the form of
reenactments. In Stephen King's movie Stand By Me, there were three incidents regarding
trains. The first was of the four boys searching for the body of a boy hit by a train. A
second incident was when the boys were fooling around on the train tracks, almost getting
hit by not moving out of the way of an oncoming train. The last incident was where one of
the boys got stuck on the track and again almost got hit by an oncoming train. It has
been reported that at about age five Stephen King had witnessed the death of a childhood
friend who was hit by a train. The movie may be a post-traumatic 
reenactment for Stephen King. The effect of trauma never ends. As life goes on, every
person at least once in their lives will deal with the symptoms and effects associated
with PTSD and trauma events that are implement on them.
Bibliography
Work Cited
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