Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder is very difficult to deal with even if it not always obvious to the human eye. Post-traumatic stress disorder effects many people in their day to day lives. More than seventy percent of people experience traumatic events in their live and only a small portion of them end up being diagnosed with PTSD. PTSD is a mental illness that one experiences when they have been through a traumatic event and they relive it long after the event is over. This can directly affect the relationships that this person has with the people around them and their relationship with themselves. Many people who suffer from PTSD seclude themselves or break any relationships that they had because those people could remind them of the event. They could also misplace the blame or feel too much guilt and that can damage the relationship with themselves. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychological disorder that has a major effect on the way that one life and the people around them.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, more well known as PTSD is a mental illness that comes from someone experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. PTSD can be a mental illness that is life-long, or it could also be short-term (“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” American). Either way, PTSD has a major impact on the way that a person lives their life. Since 1980, American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has categorized post-traumatic stress disorder as an anxiety disorder ("Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Gale). Broken down, PTSD really is a definition in itself. “Post-traumatic” meaning after a traumatic event. “Stress” relating to that traumatic event that happened in the past. “Disorder” referring to the ‘lack of order’ that comes with having PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder has many parts to the definition just like the many ways that it effects a person’s life.
There are certain criteria that a patient has to meet in order to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. One of those being that the patient has to be having the symptoms for a minimum of a month. Another being the amount of a certain symptom. There are four symptoms that are a part of the diagnosis process: re-experiencing, avoidance, arousal and reactivity, and cognition and mood. Re-experiencing is exactly what it sounds like. A person that has PTSD, will unconsciously bring about a memory of the traumatic event and the person will relive it, or it could be brought about with a sound that they heard or something that they saw. When the person is reliving the traumatic event, they could also have outward signs. They may start to sweat and their heart my start to beat very fast because they think that they are back in the same scenario that triggered their PTSD. It also includes nightmares that relate to the event. Avoidance is the second major symptom of people who suffer from PTSD. When people demonstrate avoidance, they stay away from anything that reminds them of the traumatic event. This could include place that are similar to the place where the event occurred or people who might have experienced the same event bring up those horrible memories. People with PTSD avoid these things because they can sometimes spark a flashback, the same type of flashback that occurs in re-experiencing. Many people who have been in a horrible car accident don’t drive or even ride in a car for a period of time after the car accident. They are demonstrating avoidance and also re-experiencing because maybe they did drive or ride in a car and they had some sort of flashback to the car accident and so that is the reason behind the avoidance. Next is the arousal and reactivity symptoms. A person that has been through a traumatic event might be very jumpy or on edge. They could also have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep at night. This could be because they are on edge or startled easily. It could also be because of re-experiencing. Like previously mentioned, PTSD can cause a person to have nightmares that make them relive the event while they are sleeping. This can cause a person with PTSD not to want to close their eyes and go to sleep because they think that they could have the nightmare again. Finally, symptoms related to cognition and mood. The main example of this is a person no longer finding joy in the activities that he or she used to. This sometimes leads to the person alienating themselves from their family and friends. This is not good for someone with PTSD because they need to be reminded that they are surrounded by people that they love and that will keep them safe. A cognition example is someone not being able to remember certain part of the event. This relates to the teaching of Freud called repression. This is when the survivor of a traumatic event keeps some or all of the memories from that event in the back of their mind and so they do not have to think about it again. This causes those feelings to build up and will sometimes cause the angry or emotional outbursts that are sometimes associated with arousal and reactivity symptoms (“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” National). People with post-traumatic stress disorder are constantly going through something in their mind, and it does not always show in the outside world.
Even though post-traumatic stress disorder is most commonly associated with veterans that are coming back from war, it has many other possible causes that may not be as obvious. Some examples are: living through dangerous events and traumas, childhood trauma or abuse or any abusive relationship, and being in the military. All of these events are very traumatic and can have a long-lasting effect of a person’s life. But there are some things are able to increase the amount or severity post-traumatic stress that comes with experiencing one of the events mentioned above. This can include dealing with more stress after the traumatic event. For example, if there was a sudden death in the family, and then a person has to organize the whole funeral, that can be very stressful on top of the stress of a death in the family. Another element that can greatly increase the severity of a person’s PTSD is not having someone that can help support you after the event. It is very important for someone who has been through something traumatic to be around people that love them and want to keep them safe because it creates a stronger sense of safety in the person that is experiencing PTSD (“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” National). There are many support groups available for people with PTSD, but there is an issue with going to them that relates back to the signs and symptoms. Sometimes people do not want to be around people that remind them of the event which could include people that have been in similar events, who attend the support groups, that could trigger one of the flashbacks. If the support groups do not help with relieving some of the pain that comes with PTSD, there are some other treatment methods available.
There are four treatment options that are the most well-known or most commonly used with people who have PTSD. The first one is cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. CBT focuses on changing the way in which people respond and evaluate situations, thoughts, and feelings. It also focuses on eliminating unhealthy behaviors that come from thoughts and feelings. The second treatment option is exposure therapy. This type of therapy aims to reduce fear, anxiety and avoidance behavior by having the person fully confront, or be exposed to, thoughts, feelings or situations that are feared. With the new type of technology that is available, sometimes this includes a virtual reality experience that brings the patient back to situation that they were in. This is used most commonly with people that are misplacing blame or feeling unnecessary guilt and the psychologist wants to show the patient what really happened and so the patient can lift that weight off of their shoulders. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is the third treatment option. Psychodynamic psychotherapy focuses on many factors that may influence or cause a person's symptoms. Unlike CBT, psychodynamic psychotherapy emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind in behaviors. Much like Freud taught, hidden thoughts and feelings reside in the unconscious mind. These thoughts often include events that a person is repressing or is purposefully trying to forget. These thoughts can be reached and dealt with through psychodynamic psychotherapy. The other common treatment method is medication. Medication like anti-depressants are prescribed to people who suffer from PTSD, but it is usually in addition to another form of treatment. The medication can help people who suffer from PTSD ease some of the pain that comes with reliving the memories (“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” National). Obviously, not all of these treatments will work on every patient but many of them help in some way. As of right now, there is really no cure for PTSD but, there are many ways to make it easier to handle on a day-to-day basis.
Post-traumatic stress disorder can have a considerable effect on the life of someone with it. It can cause a person to stop participating in activities that they used to love and stop interacting with those around them. It is causes by any number of traumatic things that happen in a person’s life. This can be different for everyone depending on what they believe is traumatic. But it can be helped. There are different treatment options including different varieties of talk therapy and medications. These different options can help to lessen the burden of a traumatic event and help to relieve some of that pain. PTSD can be a life-long issue if it does not get treated but if it does, it can be a past.
Bibliography
“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/topics/ptsd/index.aspx.
“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2016, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml.
"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, edited by Bonnie Strickland, 2nd ed., Gale, 2001, pp. 505-507. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3406000506/GVRL?u=seat91241&sid=GVRL&xid=771793eb. Accessed 4 Dec. 2018.