Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Ace your studies with our custom writing services! We've got your back for top grades and timely submissions, so you can say goodbye to the stress. Trust us to get you there!
Order a Similar Paper Order a Different Paper
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
By:
What is PTSD?
– a broad category that applies to people who have been severely thraumatized at one or more times in their life
-at present, they are not functioning effectively because they have not integrated the trauma and laid it to rest.
-PTSD is threathening to oneself and their loved ones
PTSD on the DSM
1.) The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present:
– The person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event(s) that involved
a.) actual or threatened death or serious injury
b.) or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others
-The person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
DSM continued…
2.) The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one or more of the following ways:
– recurrent & intrusive distressing recollections of the event (includes images, thoughts, perceptions)
– recurrent distressing dreams of the event
-Acting or feelings as if the traumatic event were recurring (illusions, hallucinations, flashbacks, etc.)
– Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal/external cues that symbolize/resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
– Physiological reactivity of an aspect of the traumatic event
3.) Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma & numbing of general reponsiveness (3 or more of the following)
-efforts to aviod thoughts, feelings, convos associated with the trauma
-efforts to aviod activities, places, or people that arouse the recollection of the trauma
-inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma
-markedly diminished interest/participation in significant activities
-feelings of detachment/estrangement from others
-restricted range of affects (inability to feel love, trust…)
-sence of foreshortened future (can’t see life w/o job, normal relationship, ever having kids, normal life, etc…)
4.) Persistent symptoms of increased arousal as indicated by two or more of the following:
-difficulty falling or staying asleep
-irritability or outbursts of anger
-difficulty concentrating
-hypervigilance
-exaggerated startle response
5.) Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in criteria 2-4) for 1 month or longer
6.) The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Acute Stress Disorder
-A psychological condition arising in response to a terrifying event. (aka: psychological shock)
-Results from physical/mental stress, fear, or pain in accordance with/from PTSD, usually subsides within a few hours or even days
-symptoms include: initial state of “daze”, inability to comprehend imformation, low attention, & agitation.
DSM criteria for Acute Stress Disorder
1.) The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present:
– The person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event(s) that involved
a.) actual or threatened death or serious injury
b.) or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others
-The person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
2.) Either while exeriencing or after experiencing a distressing event, the indivual has 3 (or more) of the following:
a.)a subjective sense of numbing, detachment, or absence of emotional responsiveness
b.) a reduction in awareness of his/her surroundings
c.)derealization
d.)depersonalization
e.)dissociative amnesia(unable to recall important aspects of trauma)
3.) Traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least 1 of the following way: recurrent dreams, images, thoughts, flashbacks, ect. Reminding them of the traumatic event.
4.) Marked avoidance of stimuli that arouse recollecgtions of the trauma (thoughts, feelings, convos, places, people, etc)
5.)Marked symptoms of anxiety or increased arousal(difficulty sleeping, poor concentraction, hypervigilance, motor restlessness, etc…)
6.) The disturbance causes clinically sigificant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Or impairs the individual’s ability to persue some necessary tasks, obtaining necessary assistance, or mobilizing personal resources (telling family members about the trauma)
7.) The disturbance lasts for a minimum of 2 days & a maximum of 4 weeks and occurs within 4 weeks after traumatic event.
8.) The disturbance is not due to the direct phsiological effect of a substance (drug abuse, or medication) or a general medical condition
Serving in Combat or Living in a War Zone
Counselors first became aware of PTSD dealing with war veterans
Average person dealing with PTSD (in the military)
Possible symptoms
Shell Shock
The difference between WWII veterans and Vietnam Veterans
Acute stress disorder in the military & Persian Gulf Syndrom
Suffering Personal or Family Victimization
People are often victimized by others who intend to kill, harm, or itimidate, or all three
Sexual abuse survivors constitue the largest number of PTSD victims
Many perpetrators of this type of victimization know their victims personally
Trust issues
Types of trauma that may lead to PTSD
witnessing a loved one being murdered
witnessing or being part of a gruesome car accident
being kidnapped or being the parent of a child who is abducted
having personal property vandalized
having ones home burglarized
being robbed at gunpoint
PTSD for survivors of these types of trauma may be severe or mild,depending on the perceived level of threat. They often suffer from feelings of paranoia, hypervigilance, and powerlessness. They are usually angry and fearful.
Natural and Manmade Disasters
Life After Diaster: Concepts
Material Resources
Perception
Blame
Subjective Distress
Danger and Opportunity
Phases
Heroic
Honeymoon
Disillusionment
Reconstruction
EFFECTS ON YOUNG CHILDREN
Effects on young children (similar behavior to an abused child)
returning to earlier behavior (thumb sucking or bed wetting)
clinging to parents
being reluctant to go to bed
nightmares
fantasies that the disaster or incident never happened
screaming and crying
withdrawal and becoming immobile
refusing to attend school
problems at school
unable to concentrate
What can cause PTSD in children:
survival of natural or manmade disaster (flood)
violent crime (kidnapping, rape or murder of parent, school shooting)
car or plane crash
severe burns
war
sexual and physical abuse
peer suicide
exposure to violence in community
PTSD effects on children
Very young children
may show only a few symptoms because eight of the symptoms require speech
instead may show separation anxiety, avoid situations that may or may not relate to the trauma, trouble sleeping, repeat trauma during play, regress by losing an acquired skill such as potty training
PTSD effects on children
Elementary school-aged children
may not experience flashbacks as adults do
do experience time skew and omen formation, which is not seen in adults
time skew- mis-sequencing events when recalling the memory of the trauma
omen formation- belief that there were warning signs predicting the trauma
reenact trauma during play or in drawings
The Debriefing Process
Debriefing- intervention after a person has been assessed to be affected by a critical incident; includes listening, empathizing, educating, and supporting
Traumatized people should be encouraged to function where possible and maintain healthy eating habits and sleep patterns
Should attend community support groups, talking with others who have shared the same trauma is beneficial
Interventions
When disaster happens:
They affect not only those directly involved but others who suddenly feel that their security is threatened.
Communites respond by providing support.
Examples of community suppport include:
Red Cross
Elementary schools
public parks
local church organizations
The Importance of the crisis worker
Crisis workers need to help people to think differently about the crisis situation
The worker helps those experiencing overwhelming feelings to focus those feelings into productive avenues for growth
Critical Incident & Debriefing
Trama Response
Special training programs developed for workers wanting to help victims of disasters through the Red Cross and other organizations such as the International Medical Corps.
A Crisis intervention method that stabilizes, supports and normalizes peoples efforts to strengthen coping abilities
Prevent long-term damage such as PTSD, substance abuse, depression, and family & relationship problems.
Not meant to be used as a “treatment”
Symptoms of PTSD
Physical symptoms include: fatigue, nausea, muscle tremors, twitches, chest pain, difficulty breathing, elevated blood pressure, rapid heart rate, thirst, visual difficulties, vomiting, grinding of teeth, weakness, dizziness, profuse sweating, chills shock symptoms, and fainting.
Emotional and behavioral symptoms include: anxiety, guilt, grief, panic,fear, uncertainty, loss of emotional control, depression, irritability, apprehension,change in activity, change in speech patterns, withdrawal, outbursts, suspiciousness, loss or increase of appetite, alcohol consumption, etc.
Symptoms of PTSD continued:
Cognitive symptoms include: blaming, confusion, poor attention, poor decisions, poor concentration, memory problems, increased or decreased awareness of surroundings, poor abstract thinking, loss of time, place, or person, nightmares, and intrusive images.
Looking for top-notch essay writing services? We've got you covered! Connect with our writing experts today. Placing your order is easy, taking less than 5 minutes. Click below to get started.
Order a Similar Paper Order a Different Paper