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Essay on negative effects of stress on the brain
PTSD research 123 esssays
Essays on stress and the brain
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The goal of the research encountered in this paper is to expose the characteristics of PTSD, understand the symptoms and why it affects the everyday life of a human, diagnose and assess the symptoms of PTSD, how to live with a family member struggling with the disorder, and ultimately respond with solutions to assert PTSD and help cure the mind of a patient suffering from this mental disorder. PTSD is a disorder that affects the areas of the brain in which it is in constant stress and mental pain. The psychology of PTSD is enforced to patients because of the dangers that it may cause. Therefore, as a mental disorder, PTSD is a force to be reckoned with because of its nature to the patients afflicted by the disorder. As a result, people should …show more content…
The Institute of Medicine (2006) states that there is another disorder in which has similar characteristic to PTSD named Acute Stress Disorder or ASD (p. 13). Although similar, ASD is considered the beginning stage of PTSD since it can only be diagnosed during the first month or so (Institute of Medicine, 2006, p. 13). As ASD progresses, it tends to lead to PTSD where one first becomes exposed with the disorder but when this happens, the symptoms tend to get more severe such as nightmares or flashbacks of the event that traumatized the patient (Institute of Medicine, 2006, p. 13). As a result, throughout a diagnosis for PTSD it is apparent that one must take in to consideration all the symptoms that is evident, for some symptoms might be evident for some patients and other symptoms for other patients; however, the symptoms evident more than likely have been documented and can be compared with each other (Norrholm, …show more content…
The answer to that is stated by Stark, Parsons, Van Hartevelt, Charquero-Ballester, McManners, Ehlers, and Kringelbach (2015), the threat starts off in the amygdala where there are hypersensitive stimuli that go hand in hand with triggers that cause PTSD causing gradual stress on the brain in form of flashbacks and sleep difficulties (P. 1). Moreover, this constant threat has the patient on high alert since his or her brain is under the constant force of the stress caused by traumatic events. For example, Ruglass and Kendall-Tacket (2014) mentioned scenarios such as Jenna who had difficulty sleeping for most of her high school career after being raped at a drive in as well as a veteran named Sam who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Sam was challenged by disturbing thoughts and had nightmares as well throughout his normal life (P. 3). This research has concluded that only highly sensitive and traumatic events trigger the start of PTSD, so it affects much of the quality of living for the patient who has been diagnosed with the disorder. To conclude, it is evident that a PTSD patient does indeed go through vigorous challenges that in term influence much of a patient’s daily life since conflicts between the patient and his or her self arise to constantly put the patient in a state of grief and pain
“We Kill Ourselves Because We Are Haunted” is a non-fiction essay by Jennifer Percy; in which Percy meet veterans or soldiers and their family who are suffering from PTSD, due to some accident that happened to the veterans or soldiers. In the article Percy, discuss various incidence of different people who are trapped in the circle of PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a problem related to mental health. In this a person come across flashbacks, nightmares, uncontrollable thought that are not easily recoverable. PTSD may happen when a person comes across a terrifying situation that happened to themselves or someone close to them.
Antwone Fisher presents characteristics consistent with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 271). The American Psychiatric Association described the characteristics of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, as “the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to one or more traumatic events” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 271). The American Psychological Association (2013) outlines the criterion for diagnosis outlined in eight diagnostic criterion sublevels (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, pp. 271-272). Criterion A is measured by “exposure to actual or threatened” serious trauma or injury based upon one or more factors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p.
PTSD is a battle for everyone who is diagnosed and for the people close to them. The only way to fight and win a battle is to understand what one is fighting. One must understand PTSD if he or she hopes to be cured of it. According to the help guide, “A positive way to cope with PTSD is to learn about trauma and PTSD”(Smith and Segal). When a person knows what is going on in his or her body, it could give them better control over their condition. One the many symptoms of PTSD is the feeling of helplessness, yet, knowing the symptoms might give someone a better sense of understanding. Being in the driver’s seat of the disorder, can help recognize and avoid triggers. Triggers could be a smell, an image, a sound, or anything that could cause an individual to have a flashback of the intimidating event. Furthermore, knowing symptoms of PTSD could, as well, help one in recovering from the syndrome. For instance, a person could be getting wor...
Finding Nemo is the story of a clownfish, Marlin, who’s only son gets taken by Australian scuba divers. Marlin, even with plenty of grief over losing his wife and other babies, goes through great lengths, fears and people to get his son back. He meets other animals and learns from them the importance of living your life and not worrying about the past as he tries to get his son Nemo back.
Ishmael Chambers constantly struggles quietly with his PTSD throughout the novel, he has had to deal with the loss of a limb and having constant flashbacks or his time in the Marines. Ishmael has had to deal with the difficulties and constant looks come with not having an arm. He has felt numb ever since the war. Ishmael not only talks about his time in the Marines the shares the story of the loss of his arm. Going back to that day and the description of the events, clearly show how greatly his time there had affected him. Guterson writes, "It was difficult to know what the point would be of talking about such a thing. There was no point to anything that was clear. He couldn't think straight about anything that had happened since a landing
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), originally associated with combat, has always been around in some shape or form but it was not until 1980 that it was named Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and became an accredited diagnosis (Rothschild). The fact is PTSD is one of many names for an old problem; that war has always had a severe psychological impact on people in immediate and lasting ways. PTSD has a history that is as long and significant as the world’s war history - thousands of years. Although, the diagnosis has not been around for that long, different names and symptoms of PTSD always have been. Some physical symptoms include increased blood pressure, excessive heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, diarrhea, problems with vision, speech, walking disorders, convulsive vomiting, cardiac palpitations, twitching or spasms, weakness and severe muscular cramps. The individual may also suffer from psychological symptoms, such as violent nightmares, flashbacks, melancholy, disturbed sleep or insomnia, loss of appetite, and anxieties when certain things remind them such as the anniversary date of the event (Peterson, 2009).
Research done by Paul Ciechanowski in 2015 identified the continuance of PTSD from 6.8 to 12.3 percent in the overall adult population in the U.S. (Ciechanowski, 2015). To be diagnosed with this disorder the individual must meet a certain set of criteria. The criteria for PTSD that we will be using can be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder Ed.4, or DSM-IV for short. PTSD is categorized by the following symptoms: intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, sleep disturbance, nightmares and flashbacks of the past traumatic events, and avoidance to triggers of the trauma. The list I just gave you is a simplified version of the criteria that needs to meet for diagnosing PTSD. A more thorough detailing of the criteria can be found in Appendix section of this paper (PTSD Criteria List n.d.). When assessing whether an individual has PTSD or not it is important to specify the onset or duration of the disorder. Specifications in the duration of PTSD are acute, chronic, and delayed onset. Acute is referring to less than three months, chronic is referring to more than three months, and delayed onset is referring to six months passing before symptoms are
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after a traumatic event (Riley). A more in depth definition of the disorder is given by Doctor’s Nancy Piotrowski and Lillian Range, “A maladaptive condition resulting from exposure to events beyond the realm of normal human experience and characterized by persistent difficulties involving emotional numbing, intense fear, helplessness, horror, re-experiencing of trauma, avoidance, and arousal.” People who suffer from this disease have been a part of or seen an upsetting event that haunts them after the event, and sometimes the rest of their lives. There are nicknames for this disorder such as “shell shock”, “combat neurosis”, and “battle fatigue” (Piotrowski and Range). “Battle fatigue” and “combat neurosis” refer to soldiers who have been overseas and seen disturbing scenes that cause them anxiety they will continue to have when they remember their time spent in war. It is common for a lot of soldiers to be diagnosed with PTSD when returning from battle. Throughout the history of wars American soldiers have been involved in, each war had a different nickname for what is now PTSD (Pitman et al. 769). At first, PTSD was recognized and diagnosed as a personality disorder until after the Vietnam Veterans brought more attention to the disorder, and in 1980 it became a recognized anxiety disorder (Piotrowski and Range). There is not one lone cause of PTSD, and symptoms can vary from hallucinations to detachment of friends and family, making a diagnosis more difficult than normal. To treat and in hopes to prevent those who have this disorder, the doctor may suggest different types of therapy and also prescribe medication to help subside the sympt...
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
The current criteria for assessment of PTSD is only suitable if criterion A is met. Every symptom must be bound to the traumatic event through temporal and/or contextual evidence. The DSM-5 stipulates that to qualify, the symptoms must begin (criterion B or C) or worsen (symptom D and E) after the traumatic event. Even though symptoms must be linked to a traumatic event, this linking does not imply causality or etiology (Pai, 2017, p.4). The changes made with the DSM-5 included increasing the number of symptom groups from three to four and the number of symptoms from 17 to 20. The symptom groups are intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and
PTSD is defined as mental health disorder triggered by a terrifying event (Mayoclinic). This ordeal could be the result of some sort of physical harm or threat to the individual, family members, friends or even strangers. (NIMH) While PTSD is typically associated with someone who has served in the military, it can affect more than just that genre of individuals. It could affect rape victims, victims in a terrorist or natural disaster incident, nurses, doctors, and police and fire personnel and bystanders. PTSD can manifest itself in many forms. The primary signs and symptoms of PTSD include but are not limited to re-experiencing symptoms (flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts), avoidance of places, situations, or events that may cause those memories to resurface, and hyperarousal symptoms (easily startled, feeling tense or on edge) (NIMH). Other symptoms may include not having positive or loving feelings toward other people, staying away from relationships, may forget about parts of the traumatic event or not be able to talk about them, may think the world is completely dangerous, and no one can be trusted.
PTSD, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder, is an anxiety disorder. It affects people that have experienced, witnessed, or were confronted with a life threatening event. It can cause flashbacks, depression, nightmares, and change of mood. Other common symptoms of PTSD are difficulty sleeping, anger outbursts, decreased interest in activities, avoidance of people and places that can trigger a memory, and inability to recall part of the trauma. Symptoms can occur right after the incident but also much later in life. Other common occurrences with PTSD are depression, suicide, and alcohol or drug abuse (FAQs about PTSD).
There are many different causes of PTSD such as sexual abuse, sudden death of a loved one, and war. Trauma affects people in different ways, some can develop it from watching a fellow soldier being killed, and some can develop it from losing their jobs or a divorce. Being diagnosed with PTSD is a difficult process because there are many other psychological disorders whose symptoms can overlap and are very similar. An important fact to remember is that PTSD doesn’t just affect the person suffering; it can also have secondhand effects on their spouses, children, parents, friends, co-workers, and other loved ones. Although there is no direct cure, there are many treatment and alternative treatment options to assist them in moving forward after a trauma.
Post-Traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that may develop after one has been a victim or witness of a traumatic event (What is PTSD). Men and women who served in the Vietnam War were vulnerable to many acts of violence and death such as guerilla warfare. After being discharged from the Armed Forces, they may experience flashbacks when a trigger brings back a memory or they may also suffer from nightmares or insomnia due to specific rattling experiences (Riley, Julie). Not being able to sleep can have some deteriorating effects on the body which can make life after war very hard to adjust to. The transfer of the Armed Forces back home life can be somewhat of a culture shock. However, anyone can develop PTSD. A person who has been a victim of abuse, an unexpected death/accident, or even a survivor of a natural disaster is at risk of being diagnosed with this disorder (Mental Health America). They may experience some symptoms of; depression, irritability, insomnia, flashbacks, they may complain of headaches or stomach pain, and may become reserved (Riley, Julie). These indicatio...
Experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event can have life long affects on an individual. These experiences can range from working in the military, a natural disaster, near death experiences, accidents and abuse; everyone has a different reaction post events. “PTSD is characterized by a constellation of symptoms that reflect a prolonged adverse response to an extremely distressing event” (Orr, Metzger, Pitman, 2002, p. 272). Symptoms usually begin shortly after a traumatic event is experienced, but it is also possible for symptoms to develop over time or not at all. Additionally, symptoms will arise and subside with certain events in an individuals’ life, these events acting as triggers, which activate symptoms. According to the US Department