Causes Of Dd In Grey's Anatomy

Shonda Rhimes’ medical television drama, Grey’s Anatomy, takes place is Seattle, Washington in the fictional Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital. The series focuses on the fictional lives of a group of surgical inters and residents, whom evolve into specialized doctors, while trying to maintain a personal life with significant others and loved ones. The series has seen many characters come and go, but Dr. Meredith Grey is the central character of the show. The television series has a lot of trauma either in patient lives, such as car accidents or illnesses, or in the doctor lives, such as a hospital shooting or a plane crash. Grey’s Anatomy expresses the causes of PTSD better than Pretty Little Liars, but still does not express all possible traumas

that can cause PTSD. In a study conducted, it was determined that traumas can be considered exposure to not only war and physical attacks, but also robberies, muggings, natural disasters and motor vehicle accidents (Botella). Also, another study proved that traumatic events that cause PTSD are not random events, but rather people who are more extroverted or neurotic are more likely than others to be exposed to stressful incidents, hence PTSD symptoms (Breslau). The television series expressed PTSD symptoms when there was a plane crash, when Dr. Owen Hunt came back from his military service and from a hospital shooting. However, there were many events such as natural disasters, physical attacks and physical illnesses that caused no PTSD symptoms. However, the show did focus on the doctors and paramedics suffering through PTSD a lot more than regular patients and civilians as studies conclude that PTSD is particularly more prevalent in first responding populations and veterans compared to others (Rosenbaum). In terms of PTSD symptoms, Grey’s Anatomy does a fantastic job in encompassing PTSD symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, trouble sleeping, hypersensitivity, detachment, irritable behavior and a lot more. These symptoms became very prominent in Meredith after the plane crash, in which she was separated from her husband, witnessed a fellow doctor severely sever her leg, have a disoriented best friend and had suffered the loss of her step-sister and her friend. This experience turned her life upside down along with the others as she had many intrusive thoughts. Dr. Arizona Robins had to get her leg amputated causing her to have a negative change in cognition and mood. She suffered phantom limb and severe detachment, as her marriage fell apart, along with developing a fear of flying.

There were other doctors on the plane as well, but the females on the plane sufferd a lot more than the males, which corresponds to studies done, as PTSD is more prevalent in females (Botella). On the other hand, Dr. Owen Hunt has suffered PTSD from serving overseas as his entire military unit was killed in an ambush but him. He has suffered panic attacks, nightmares and flashbacks. Grey’s Anatomy, like Pretty Little Liars, excels in the notion of individuals having a set of symptoms that are unique and catered as each individual has their own threshold and way of dealing with things. The television series also excelled in the idea of showing how prominent these symptoms are in one’s life and how much they affect social and occupational functioning. After the plane crash, Arizona went back to work months later, while the others had trouble working and fulfilling their responsibility in the workplace and to each other. The show also depicted PTSD symptoms adding up and staying with an individual even though they have managed it. For example, in an episode, a couple years after the plane crash, another civilian place crashes causing the doctors to relive their

experience. This episode highlighted the distress that was experienced and anxiety that was felt. Studies have found that PTSD has sever impairments in psychosocial functioning that increase the risk of suicide, suicide ideation, substance abuse, and high prevalence of physical comorbidity (Rosenbaum). Some physical comorbidity includes obesity, diabetes, cardiac problems, poor sleeping and low levels of physical activity (Rosenbaum). Also, people that suffer with PTSD learn how to deal with their symptms but they do not disappear right away. Consequently, the show does not highlight all the treatment options that are available for PTSD suffering individuals. Grey’s Anatomy shows treatment through talking to a psychologist, taking time off, drinking alcohol to numb the pain and suppressing feelings, which are not al positive ways of treating these symptoms. A study conducted on war veterans indicated that virtual reality exposure-based therapy (VR-EBT) is an effective treatment for a reduction in PTSD symptoms as it includes imaginal exposure, in-vivo exposure therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy (Botella). Another study indicated that any sort of physical activity is also efficacious as it helps to reduce long-term effects such as obesity, negative attitudes and symptoms of depression (Rosenbaum).

The portrayal of PTSD in the media is usually accurate, however, also perpetuates stigmas and misconceptions. The two stigmas present in the representation of PTSD in Pretty Little Liars and Grey’s Anatomy are that PTSD only forms with extremely violent and dramatic events, and that PTSD symptoms can just be “slept off”. This mental illness is an anxiety disorder that focus on the feeling of worry and emphases on the future as something negative might occur again. The notion of PTSD only occurring to extremely dramatic events, can cause others to believe that in situations in which one has a car accident, or suffers through a natural disaster is irrelevant. People who only watch the media and are not well-versed in academia may think that PTSD symptims for non-dramatic events is being exaggerated or is just anxiety and stress, rather than a serious disorder. They would prevent people from asking for help. Correspondingly, the lack of treatments portrayed in these two television series shows that people are able to “sleep it off” or “shrug it off”, when in reality PTSD symptoms include intrusiveness, persistent avoidance of associated stimuli, negative changes in cognition and mood and are also marked with alterations in arousal and reactivity, which all cannot be “brushed off” (Barlow et al, 2015). In fact, individuals need to seek help as these symptoms affect daily life. Thus, treatments in which clinicians expose patients to the original trauma in order to create customized coping strategies and procedures to overcome catharsis – this is called psychoanalytic therapy occur along with VR-EBT and drugs like SSRIs (Barlow et al, 2015; Beck et al, 2012; Botella). Also, simple coping strategies such as physical activity also helps with PTSD symptoms (Rosenbaum). In these two shows, asking for professional help was not ridiculed, however in some media outlets it is causing people to feel embarrassed for seeking help. The scholarly articles were able to put the stigmas that are created by the media by presenting factual information rather than a jist of information.

Throughout mass media, mental illnesses can be portrayed both accurately and inaccurately in terms of its components. PTSD is a popular mental illness that is explored in many television many media outlets, but is not reliable. The media tends to depict mental illnesses as a negative disability that is dangerous and unstable, Since the media is very prevalent in today’s society, it has become an information station about everything, thus it is important that media makers stay well informed about major topics, such as mental illness so that accurate information is being shown to the public. When information is over-dramatized or not depicted truthfully, stigmas and misconceptions form causing ignorance in society. However, people also need to realize that the media in terms of television shows and movies are not always reliable sources of information. In terms of PTSD, symptoms and the severity of how it effects all domains of daily life are well represented, however the initial causes of PTSD and treatments are not explored. Hence, PTSD is both represented accurately and inaccurately in the media. In order to get proper information about PTSD or any other mental illness, scholarly articles should be reiewed.