Post Traumatic Stress Essay

Stress is a mental or physical tension brought about by internal or external pressures (Richman). Stress can be caused by many things, such as having to take a strenuous test or dealing with a difficult person, or from traumatic experiences such as the death of a loved one. Stress can be caused very easily in a person-which is unfortunate, considering the possible severe outcomes. In this essay, I will address the many ways in which stress can affect the human body. Stress can affect people in many different ways, emotionally and physically. Emotionally, stress can cause negative thoughts, worrying, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness, and brooding. Long amounts of stress can also cause you to have poor decision making skills, to have poor

PTSD is among only a few mental illnesses that are triggered by a disturbing outside event (Pos). Flashbacks, emotional detachment, and jumpiness are all symptoms of PTSD. People who have had cancer, heart attacks, or other serious medical problems that pose a sudden threat to one’s physical health and that produce feelings of horror or helplessness are very likely to develop PTSD. People who have been in combat are also likely to develop PTSD. More than half of all veterans from the Vietnam war, which is about 1.7 million people, have experienced symptoms of PTSD. Other situations that commonly give their victims post traumatic stress disorder are car wrecks, physical violence, sexual assault, and natural disasters such as fires, tornadoes, floods, or earthquakes. If one has PTSD, they may feel upset by things that remind them of what happened; have nightmares, or flashbacks of the event; they may feel numb or lose interest in things they used to care about; feel that they are always in danger; feel anxious, jittery, or irritated constantly; or have insomnia or trouble keeping your mind on one thing. Many of these symptoms are extremely similar to being stressed, excluding flashbacks. Many people with PTSD also have another disorder. Some 88% of women and 79% of men with PTSD have another psychiatric disorder (pos). PTSD is a more severe type of stress that is caused by a