Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD)
Introduction
Post traumatic stress disorder is a common disorder that is caused by anxiety. We have two main categories of PTSD namely chronic PTSD and acute PTSD. Evidence shows that these categories are distinguished by age simply because if a condition goes for more than three months it is referred to chronic PTSD otherwise acute PTSD. This essay will discuss Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome disorder that affects humans in their life. We shall define what PTSD is and look at some of its main symptoms that an individual has when suffering at this health condition. The essay will also look at who is likely to get this disorder and summarize some risk factors for PTSD. We shall also look at the relationship that exists between PTSD and other disorders. Finally, the essay will evaluate recommended treatments for the disorder and the outcome for any treatment developed.
Discussion
PTSD and its Main Symptoms
What is PTSD?
Study shows that sufferers of PTSD re-experience the account of the traumatic event. This makes sufferers develop a condition of avoiding anything that caused the event or something that has a relation with that specific even. They are hyper-arousal something that makes them exquisitely sensitive to anything related to their event experience situation. Evidence suggests that the existence of PTSD is as old as humans, but its first and formal recognized diagnosis can be traced back in 1980. During the American Civil War, PTSD existed simply because the veterans suffered from the soldier’s heart condition. This occurred due to events or situations veterans faced during the war. Combat fatigue is an example of PTSD syndrome that affected soldiers who were involved in World War I. During the Second World War, these soldiers developed something called gross stress reaction on what they had experienced during the first war, (Syd, 2012).
Kids and adults have the potential to get PTSD for the stressful events they encountered in their life. The events develop negative impacts, which may be emotionally or physical. The responses towards a given even matters a lot, and that is what causes development of an experience that leads to post traumatic stress disorder. The enduring difficulties that children and adults encounter after the events are responsible for PTSD. Study explains that the occurrence of PTSD commonly results from the fact that the person sustained serious injuries or the event developed a threatening situation such as witnessed sexual abuse, violence in the society, flood, earthquake, and automobile accidents among others. Developing PTSD depends on the seriousness of the event towards the affected party. If the event is repeated, occurrence of trauma may develop faster compared to an event that is not repeated, (Blair, 2012).
Signs and symptoms of PTSD
Recurrent: We have three main symptoms and signs in PTSD. These symptoms occur in early stages of trauma or may occur late when the condition has developed some effects to the child or the adult person. Recurrent re-experiencing of the trauma is one of the symptoms of post traumatic stress syndrome disorder. This condition occurs when an individual recalls of the event that occurred in a given situation. Flashbacks of a certain situation may occur in a human mind something that creates traumatic stress condition. Recurring nightmares are common in human life thus remembering of a trauma condition may develop a traumatic stress action that develops PTSD. Statistics shows that nearly 80% of post traumatic stress syndrome disorders occur as a result of recurrent experiences among the affected parties. This condition creates an environment that prepares humans to recall on what happened in a given situation, (Capehart & Bass, 2012).
Avoidance: Avoidance is another sign that one can tell a person suffers from PTSD. Once bitten twice shy is a saying that carries a lot of meaning in a different environment setting. Avoidance creates phobia in a human which prevents the person from engaging with activities that developed his or her condition. The sufferer gets to recall what occurred during the situation something that makes him recall the experience. When the sufferer recalls the situation of the numbing emotion, something develops which affects the entire life hence creating a condition of traumatic disorder. Sufferers mostly avoid what may have resulted to their experience. It is possible to tell what the causes were simply because the sufferer always develops an avoidance environment to keep away from the condition, (Carrion & Steiner, 2011).
Chronic physical signs: The physical signs of hype-arousal include but not limited to anger, blackouts, sleep problems, poor concentration, difficulty in recalling things, excessive watchfulness, irritability, increased tendency, hyper vigilance to threat, and reaction to being startled. Evidence shows that numbing in PTSD may create an environment that prevents an individual behave in a normal way. Individuals lose taste over things they liked earlier simply because they in some way influenced the occurrence of a given traumatic event. This condition creates an environment that prevents sufferers from responding in appropriate ways as expected in a normal situation. When one or two signs or symptoms of PTSD exceeds two or three months, the condition is referred as chronic. These symptoms and signs can tell whether individual suffers from acute or chronic condition. Evidence shows that acute PTSD lasts for fewer days as compared to chronic PTSD. Acute PTSD lasts only for two days to four weeks to the maximum, (Capehart & Bass, 2012).
Who is likely to get PTSD?
Studies developed by different people shows that anybody has the potential to get PTSD. To gets PTSD depends on one thing, which is the ability to recall on something that happened. If an individual has the potential to remember something, he or she can get PTSD. It all depends on the occurrence of traumatic even followed by development of experience which may causes an environment that creates fear and threatening condition. According to current statistics carried on the occurrence of PTSD, approximately 7%-9% of American population experience PTSD in their life time. Victims of rape counts to more than 30% of sufferers of PTSD indicated in the statistics carried. Kids are believed to be affected by PTSD as compared to adults. When a child feels abandoned it creates something that gives the child condition to develop PTSD. The child feels as if the family has let him down over something. Recalling this aspect of being let down creates some signs of PTSD, (Breslau & Andreski, 2009).
Children effects on traumatic events are believed to last for ages as compared to those of adults. Study shows that children sufferers of PTSD have severe effects simply because the condition enters into the mind properly and takes more time before the entire thing is erased. Domestic violence and sexual activities are commonly the main causes of PTSD in children. Children are victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse simply because they have no say in the aspect that creates the event which causes the experience, (Syd, 2012).
Study also shows that veterans falls on another category of the group that is affected by PTSD. Unlike other disorders that discriminates who to attack, PTSD does not favor anyone. It victimizes all humans who have the potential to remember what happened in a given situation. Veterans and soldiers coming from wars were mostly affected by PTSD. The exposure they had in war makes them develop PTSD when they came back for the rest. They recall activities and events that were not favorable in their life. This is something that created threatening and fearful situations that made veterans have a sense of recalling what they saw in the process. Most of them recall their enemies and see how they may suffer from the enemies attack. These flashbacks affect soldier’s daily life simply because they do not think of anything apart from how their enemies may come and attack them. Veterans do not sleep well at nights simply because they develop nightmares that make them think their enemies have planned to kill them. A recent study conducted on the mental health of soldiers who took part in any war revealed that 1 out of 10 soldiers had suffered from PTSD, (Capehart & Bass, 2012).
General public is another group that has the potential to experience effects of PTSD. The common man can get PTSD as a result of outcomes of a given situation. This only depends on the occurrence of the condition which creates outcomes that have weird effects. Negative impacts of a situation contribute highly on the occurrence of PTSD. For a common person, occurrence of symptoms of PTSD is indicated high simply because this group experiences traumatic events now and then. Domestic violence has the highest rating on development of signs of PTSD as compared to other aspects. Approximate 30% of PTSD suffers in general public results from domestic violence and sexual abuse that occurs in the society. Society has failed to develop an environment that prevents the occurrence of activities that affect people to a point of suffering from PTSD in their future, (Blair, 2012).
Risk factors for PTSD
Any trauma that causes life threatening or compromising situation is believed to have force on PTSD. Torture, sexual abuse, attacks, assault, being the victim of rape, natural disasters, robbery, and mugging are some of causes of intense fear that leads to PTSD in humans. Increased duration of a traumatic event according to study conducted in causes of PTSD suggested that it is one of the higher risk factor that supports the development of PTSD. Another thing is the condition of having emotion condition immediately and after the event occurred. Emotion has the potential to support the occurrence of PTSD something that requires attention in most cases. Higher severity of the trauma experienced in the society is another risk factor that creates environment suitable for PTSD growth. Higher number of traumatic events endured in the community can be described as another risk factor that makes the environment respond to the situation in a low speed. Lack of social support from the society especially in family members plays a vital role in development of PTSD. It is another risk factor that is associated with development of PTSD in the society, (Carrion & Steiner, 2011).
Relationship of PTSD with other disorder
It is known that PTSD is an anxiety disorder that has no discriminative power over whom to get affected. This means that all people have the capacity to be affected as long as they can comprehend the effects of the event. Evidence shows that trauma leads to poor health. Poor eating habits causes other human disorders thus to some way PTSD may be the cause of certain eating disorders that affects humans. Occurrence of health problems resulting from PTSD develops disorders that affect human life. PTSD has also effects on depression in humans because they tend to recall the events. Depression creates certain disorders thus PTSD in general develops other disorders in life, (Syd, 2012).
Treatments Recommended for PTSD
As PTSD has no limit and does not offer any discrimination, it has a variety of treatment methods. The reason as to why PTSD has a variety of treatment methods is due to the fact that it affects different groups of people who have different problems in their life. Medical interventions and psychological approach are the best ways of providing treatment for sufferers of PTSD. Use of any given approach depends on the age of the sufferer because the cause of PTSD may have developed from a situation that is different from one person to another. Talking about the trauma direct with the sufferer is an approach used by many in providing treatments. Another approach recommended by most physicians in the current world is on teaching the person measures and ways how to handle symptoms of a given condition. This aspect has made thousands of suffers manage their symptoms in the best way possible, (Blair, 2012).
Reference:
Blair, E. W. et al. (2012). Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Journal of Military Medicine. Retrieved from, http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.pasadena.edu/ehost/detail?sid=7c3a92c5-53fc-4603-aec0-3f06d60aa06e%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=78364583, On December 18, 2012
Capehart, D. & Bass, B. (2012). Managing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Combat Veterans with Comorbid Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development. Retrieved from, http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.pasadena.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=8&sid=c796e38e-d28e-4a65-869d-edf1913eeb7f%40sessionmgr4&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c9h&AN=79729780, On December 18, 2012
Carrion, V. G. & Steiner. H. (2011). Trauma and dissociation in delinquent adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry
Syd, H. (2012). Psychological Response to Trauma in Older People. Journal of Mental Health Practice. Retrieved from, http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.pasadena.edu/ehost/detail?sid=e1997c75-c8b8-4288-a571-00606bb9e4f9%40sessionmgr14&vid=1&hid=8&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c9h&AN=83362827, On December 18, 2012
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