Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

From the beginning of U.S history, Americans have been in 12 major wars and hundreds of lesser wars and battles. Natural disasters, such as the Dust Bowl, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the Greensburg Tornado, have also been a part of American history. Since America is currently fighting in a war and enduring several natural disasters across the country, it would be appropriate to discuss a major psychological disorder that is becoming more and more common in America, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper will discuss what it is, what it is caused by, its possible risk factors, diagnosis, and treatments, as well as PTSD in children.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as a psychiatric diagnosis, was formally introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, third edition, in 1980 by the American Psychiatric Association (Eth 1). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined as "a psychological disorder of individuals who have experienced profound trauma, such as torture, marked by recurrent flashbacks, nightmares, eating disorders, anxiety, fatigue, forgetfulness, and withdrawal (The American Heritage College Dictionary 1089)." Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is the most severe psychological disorder from which a human being can suffer. The stress that is associated with PTSD is so severe that it tests a human's physical and mental survivability. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is also a common disorder in America. Every year, 5.2 million people suffer from this disorder. Brain tissue is destroyed and body chemistry is changed because of the stress that comes with this disorder. At this point, possible risk factors for PTSD will be discussed.

The causes and risk factors for PTSD are numerous. Risk factors may include suffering from a phobia or anxiety prior to or while going through the trauma which caused PTSD, and having a sensitive limbic system, which controls emotion. Causes of PTSD are many, and include being in military combat, witnessing a natural disaster, genetics, and being the victim of rape, kidnapping, car crash, or natural disaster. Experiencing the trauma for an extended period of time can increase your chances of developing PTSD. There are many more potential causes of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A general rule of thumb: if you have experienced a traumatic event, you have the potential of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. After you have experienced a traumatic event, you will suffer from various symptoms. At this point, the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder will be discussed.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is not developed immediately following a traumatic event. The first two days of traumatic stress symptoms are known as Acute Stress Disorder. In order for your symptoms to be diagnosed as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, you have to have experienced your symptoms for at least four weeks. There are quite a few symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. Some of those symptoms include: flashbacks, emotional numbness and a detachment from all emotions, nightmares and scary thoughts, intense guilt and worry, angry outbursts, irritability, startling easily, lack of interest, headaches, gastrointestinal distress, immune system problems, dizziness, chest pain, and anhedonia, or deriving no current pleasure from previously pleasurable thoughts or activities. If you have experienced these symptoms for at least one month, you can go through the process of having Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosed.

The diagnosis for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can start at home. There are several simple questions that you can ask yourself or your physician can ask you when diagnosing PTSD. Here is a list of these questions, as quoted from What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic Attacks (Hunt 70-71):

1) Were you exposed to a traumatic event that could have resulted in your death or serious injury?

2) Were you exposed to a traumatic event that could have resulted in death or serious injury to others around you?

3) Did you feel helpless, lacking any control?

4) Have you been reliving this event in your thoughts or dreams, including daydreams?

5) Do recurring distressing recollections of the event continually intrude into your thoughts?

6) Are you experiencing frightening dreams that may or may not accurately reflect the event?

7) Do you find yourself reliving the experience through flashbacks, hallucinations, images, or illusions?

8) Do events or activities around you that symbolize the event trigger the distress?

9) Do you find it impossible to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma?

10) Do you have amnesia for various parts of the trauma?

11) Have you lost interest in many of your pre-trauma activities?

12) Do you feel detached and distant from others?

13) Are you negative about your future?

14) Do you have trouble sleeping?

15) Do angry outbursts come easily?

16) Is it difficult to concentrate?

17) Is your present state of mental health adversely affecting your job, family, or social life?

If you have answered yes to most of these questions, it is likely that you have developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. After being diagnosed with PTSD, you can undergo treatments to cure the disorder.

The treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are numerous and varying. They vary from medications to therapy to hypnosis. Treating PTSD takes a minimum of 6 months, sometimes longer, and some people may relapse into PTSD a year after having cured it. Some treatments may include pharmacotherapy, in which medications such as antiadrenergic agents, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, and antipsychotic drugs are given. Cognitive therapy is also a treatment option. This type of therapy has eight different forms, which include exposure therapy, systematic desensitization, stress inoculation training, cognitive therapy, assertiveness training, biofeedback, relaxation therapy, and various combinations of the above treatments. The goal of cognitive therapy is to identify and change problematic thinking patterns. Restructuring, desensitization, group therapy, which may last from 3 to 6 months, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, psychodynamic therapy, inpatient treatments, psychosocial rehabilitation, hypnosis, and marital and family therapy are also treatment options. These treatment options are currently being used by doctors and psychologists to cure PTSD. The National Institute for Mental Health is currently supporting PTSD-focused research on anxiety and fear to find treatments and preventions.

Researchers are constantly working to find cures for diseases and disorders. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of those disorders. Scientists have come up with potential new treatments in the following areas: psychopharmacological, psychosocial, and cross-modality comparative. These treatments will also come available to children and adolescents, who may also suffer from PTSD.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is not limited to adults. Children and adolescents are also vulnerable to this disorder. PTSD in children, who are still developing physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally, may cause disruptions in their emotional development. Some symptoms of childhood Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may be different from adult symptoms. Childhood symptoms could include: regressed behavior, repetitive play, school refusal, loss of acquired developmental abilities, anxiety in strange situations, diminished future expectations, irritability, social avoidance, separation anxiety, and memory problems. Many doctors may be hesitant to diagnose a child's symptoms as PTSD. Other disorders that these symptoms may be diagnosed as include: Acute Stress Disorder, Adjustment Disorder, and Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The treatments for childhood PTSD are much the same as the treatments for adults. Some treatments may include: psychosocial interventions, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, in vivo and imaginal exposure techniques, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and pharmacotherapy. This paper has discussed what PTSD is, what causes it, its symptoms, and treatments. It will now conclude with a list of statistics from the American Psychological Association.

The following statistics have come from the American Psychological Association's facts and statistics about PTSD.

1) Families of those who suffer extreme traumatic stress can also develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (U.S. Surgeon Generalís Report, 1999).

2) Approximately 9% of those exposed to extreme trauma develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (U.S. Surgeon Generalís Report, 1999)

3) Approximately 15% of Vietnam veterans are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 19 years after combat exposure (U.S. Surgeon Generalís Report, 1999)

4) Women who are victims of crime, and torture and concentration camp survivors suffer the highest rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (U.S. Surgeon Generalís Report, 1999)

5) Approximately 50% of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder cases remit within one year (U.S. Surgeon Generalís Report, 1999)

6) An estimated 8% of those who served in the Persian Gulf War in 1991 have developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (National Institutes of Mental Health)

7) Approximately 30% of those who have spent time in war zones experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (National Institutes of Mental Health)

8) About 5.2 million U.S. adults ages 18 to 54 have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in any given year. (National Institutes of Mental Health)

9) The prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in women is twice that of men, 10% v. 5% (National Comorbidity Survey).

10) 61% of men and 51% of women have experienced traumas linked to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (National Comorbidity Survey).

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a real disease with real causes, symptoms, and treatments. 5.2 million Americans suffer from this disorder in a given year. These 5.2 million people include adults and children alike. While the causes, symptoms, and treatments may vary, the results should all be the same: a cure for, and a release from, the stress and life altering affects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Works Cited

Eth, S (editor): PTSD in Children and Adolescents (Review of Psychiatry Series, Volume 20,

Number 1; Oldham JM and Riba MB, series editors). Washington, DC, American

Foa, Edna B., Keane, Terence M., Friedman, Matthew J. Effective Treatments for PTSD. New

York: The Guilford Press, 2000

Hunt, Douglas M.D. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic

Attacks. New York: Time Warner Book Group, 2005

Myers, David G. Exploring Psychology, 7^th Edition. New York: Worth Publishers, 2008

National Institute of Mental Health, Medline Plus: Interactive Health Tutorials. 2005.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ptsd/htm/index.htm

NIMH Fact Sheet: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml

Parkinson, Frank. Post-Trauma Stress. Tucson: Fisher Books, 2000

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Real Illness. National Institute of Mental Health, 2005

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder". The American Heritage College Dictionary. 4^th ed.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Facts and Statistics. 2005. American Psychological Association.

4 July 2008.

http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/topic.php?id=6#Post-Traumatic%20Stress%20Disorder