The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 horrified Americans everywhere. Watching friends, family, and countrymen struggle to survive in a way that no one should have to endure. To this day, the events that occurred on September 11th live on in the memories of all that witnessed them. For some, however, the experience lived on. Those who had been in the towers when the planes struck began experiencing nightmares and flashbacks of that fateful day. These people were suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a syndrome that can be both mild enough to be barely noticeable and severe enough to cripple a person’s life. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that has the potential to occur after a person has been through a traumatic event. Traumatic events are occurrences that are terrible and frightening that a person sees or has happen to them. Other common traits of these events are the threat of lives being lost or a feeling of complete loss of control of the situation. Anyone that has gone through a traumatic experience can develop PTSD. Some examples of traumatic experiences are combat or military exposure, sexual or physical abuse as a child, terrorist attacks, serious accidents, and natural disasters. This means that, although PTSD is most commonly associated with veterans of war, Hurricane Katrina survivors, as well as the survivors of the September 11th attacks all share an equal chance for acquiring PTSD. Why Posttraumatic Stress Disorder develops is somewhat unclear. Some factors that influence the chances of PTSD are the intensity of the trauma experienced, the extent of the loss that occurred, and how much help and support was received after the experience. There are fou... ... middle of paper ... ...y body and gave me a moderate concussion. The loud blast and the whole occurrence itself occasionally reoccur if certain influences take place such as the loud blast of a gun or if fireworks are discharged when I am not expecting it. Yet when this happens I do not react in a manner that is comparable to the severe symptoms of PTSD. With treatment, the effects of PTSD can be diminished and all together eliminated. However, there is no one that is immune to PTSD. Everyone has the chance of going through a horrible traumatic experience, even when they least expect it. Those working at the World Trade Center the morning of September 11, 2001 probably expected it to be just another day at the office. For some, however, it was their last day in the office. For their friends and coworkers it is a day that continued to haunt them long after the dust had settled.
It is important to understand when discussing this topic what exactly Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is, and how one obtains it. When someone has PTSD, their sense of fear and stress are tampered with; even when not in danger, the person with the disorder may feel as though they are. It is as if the victims are suffering from delayed trauma. Several risk factors can lead to this: experiences with dangerous events/traumas, history of mental illness, physical pain, witnessing the injuries/deaths of others, feeling horror, helplessness, or extreme fear, little to no support after the trigger event, experiencing extra stress after the event...
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
Today the definition of PTSD has broadened to include not just those in combat, but people who have experienced any man-made or natural disasters, accidents, violent crime such as rape, and abuse. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, emotional detachment, ...
An estimated 8% of Americans, 24.4 million people, have PTSD at any given time. That is equal to the total population of Texas, according to PTSD United. This mental condition affects people who have gone through a traumatic situation before, and are holding onto the memory. PTSD became widespread and documented around the time of World War I, and has been rising since. There has never been true a cure. Many people do not pay much attention to people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. However, with a few awareness programs, one person could make all the difference in a victim’s life.
PTSD is when a person experiences something traumatic but continues to feel threatened and fearful after the event has passed. Anyone who has experienced a traumatic event can suffer from PTSD. However, everyone reacts to the events differently. Therefore, some people that have
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is one of the deepest injuries that anyone can go through after experiencing such a negative event in their lifetime. Unlike other disorders, PTSD is not a disorder that can be deliberated by scientific facts. It is a disorder that can only be fully understood by a person who has experienced as damaging as the event at hand. According to the Mayo Clinic of healthcare service, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) “is a mental health condition that 's triggered by a terrifying event, either experiencing it or
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...
PTSD has been around for many years, and is not only related to war, but also referred to by different names, “Shell Shock” or “battle fatigue.” Over a course of many years there have been reports of soldiers fleeing the battle grounds or having emotional backgrounds before this psychological disorder was ever discovered. In the History of PTSD by Darlene Zagata, she explains about soldiers during the civil war were sent home during such emotional breakdowns without supervision and were dismissed as being cowards or having a lack of discipline. A large number of veterans were affected following the Vietnam War. PTSD was largely disregarded ...
Physical manifestations of PTSD are a result of the body’s natural response mechanisms becoming overwhelmed. This mechanism is commonly referred as the fight or flight mechanism a part of the nervous system. In the unaffected person, when triggered this mechanism cause changes in the body. Changes such as increased heart rate, increased musc...
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
PTSD occurs after experiencing traumatic events and prolonged periods of emotional distress. A traumatic event is something that a person experiences that causes them to feel like their lives, or the lives of others, are in immediate danger. If after traumatic events such feelings of fear or complete loss of control do not subside and cause disruptions in a person's everyday life PTSD may occur. Such traumatic events may include: Combat in a war zone, sexual or physical abuse or assault, major accidents, or natural disasters. There are four main symptoms used to identify PTSD: Reliving the traumatic event, which can include nightmares and flashbacks. Avoiding people or situations that could remind one of the event. Negative changes in a persons thoughts or feelings, such as fear, guilt, shame or loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities. Lastly, hyperarousal, feeling jittery, alert and on the look for danger along with trouble sleeping or focusing. (National Center For PTSD). People suffering from Ptsd may also encounter problems with depression and anxiety along with relationship problems, physical symptoms, and drug and alcohol problems.
PTSD is a debilitating mental illness that occurs when someone is exposed to a traumatic, dangerous, frightening, or a possibly life-threating occurrence. “It is an anxiety disorder that can interfere with your relationships, your work, and your social life.” (Muscari, pp. 3-7) Trauma affects everyone in different ways. Everyone feels wide ranges of emotions after going through or witnessing a traumatic event, fear, sadness and depression, it can cause changes in your everyday life as in your sleep and eating patterns. Some people experience reoccurring thoughts and nightmares about the event.
Post traumatic stress disorder is a disorder in which fear and related symptoms continue to be experienced long after a traumatic event. This disorder is associated when someone who commits an act that is difficult to live with or when an individual sees a traumatic event done. Trauma that is experienced directly is the event that someone does something that is traumatic to their morals. For example, military personals who fought in a war find that when they get back home they still experience the trauma that happened to them on the battlefield. Trauma experienced vicariously is when an individual watches a tragedy happen. This type can have the same symptoms as trauma committed directly. Sometimes vicariously trauma is seeing another person
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is a misunderstood anxiety disorder in which case many believe that occurs right after a traumatic event. One of the biggest myths is that PTSD only affects veterans. It is a fact however that anyone can be diagnosed with PTSD, approximately one out of 10 women in America m...
There are many causes for PTSD. Common cases are caused by experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, such as military combat, natural disasters, serious accidents, and/or physical assault. Most people who survive events like these return to normal within an uncertain amount of time, however,