Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental and psychological disorder that develops after an individual is exposed to traumatizing events. These events could be warfare, physical and sexual abuses like rape, traffic collisions or many other situations that are a threat to a person’s life.
Analyses on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder suggest that women are two times likely to be affected by this than the men. As Foa & International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, (2009) explain, women are prone to conditions that inhibit PSTD, such as domestic violence and rape than men are, and this highly affects their psychology. Furthermore, children are more likely by this psychological condition than adults are, and this is liable to change them to adulthood if they do not get proper treatment in advance. The researchers continue to explain five common types of this disorder. These are a ty
...pical stress response, uncomplicated PTSD, acute stress disorder, comorbid PTSD as well as complex PTSD.
The typical stress response happens with adults who were exposed to more frightening events in their childhood experience terrible memories, emotional disorders, unreality feelings, withdrawals, tension, and distress. Recovery to such individuals takes a shorter time, often after just one week. Often a group debriefing helps patients with this condition. The briefings begin by understanding the events that caused the trauma. They then advance to an understanding of the patients' response to the situation after which follows a participating forum where like patients and survivors interact.
At the end f this process, the psychologist will talk to theses survivors on the best way of coping up with life after the experience. Patients with Acute stress disorder displays symptoms of panic
reactions, confusion, inability to put things together, lack f sleep, and being unable to manage basic activities like keeping themselves clean, will be unable to work, or even abandon their relationship responsibilities. Only a few patients experience acute stress disorder and is less harmful, except when the trauma lasts for a longer period of time, which places them to vulnerability to death, loss of home, community or even destruction. To treat this form of trauma, it is advisable that the patient be removed from a place of trauma, such as relocating to a new house. Furthermore, psychologists advise the use of medication that reduces grief, tension, and insomnia.
A short psychotherapy may be provided to the patient in the context of intervention of crisis. With Uncomplicated PTSD , the patient experiences a repeating experience of the trauma causing event together with avoidance of stimuli brought about by the event.. In comparison, PTSD comorbid is more widespread with other psychiatric disorders than the uncomplicated PTSD. PTSD comorbid is usually linked to at least one other common mental disorder like drug abuse, constant depression and other anxiety disorders. To achieve best results, PSTD patients should be treated together. However, patients showing more severe symptoms are to be treated with additional medications or techniques.
Complex PTSD is associated with individuals who have a continuous exposure to traumatic circumstances, especially at their younger ages, like a series of childhood sexual abuse. They are likely to be dissociative, always avoiding company of the people around them. These patients display symptoms of behavioral difficulties like aggression, alcoholism, drug use, cause bodily harms to themselves. They also develop high tempers and constantly contemplate on
taking their own lives. Sometimes, the patients may lack sleep.
Their treatment is a slow and gradual process, which follows a well designed treatment program by qualified psychologists or trauma specialists. A person suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder is likely to start experiencing its symptoms within three months of a traumatic event, in some cases; the symptoms may not surface until several years after the occurrence of the event. These symptoms cause major problems in social or work situations and relationships. Psychologists Beckner ; Arden, (2008) group PTSD symptoms into four types, which are intrusive memories, avoidance, adverse mood swings, or changes in emotional reactions.
To begin with, Intrusive memories start with symptoms like recurring unwanted distressing memories of the traumatic event, disturbing nightmares about the event, constant flashbacks and mental replays of the case as if they are happening again and even more severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds the patient of the event. A patient can also exhibit symptoms indicating withdrawal or avoidance. With these, the patients are likely to avoid the places, activities, or even people who remind them of the stress. Additionally, these patients will desist from talking about the traumatizing event. The patients can also experience Negative changes in thinking and mood.
With these, patients can experience symptoms such as low self-esteem, where they will have Negative feelings about themselves or other people. With this, they would be unable to experience positive emotions. These people will lose interests in things that they previously enjoyed and even lose hope about the future and future, feeling emotionally numb. They will also experience memory problems, such as forgetting important aspects of the
traumatic event.
Consequently, the patients will have difficulties in maintaining close relationships. At some point, Beckner ; Arden explain that patients may experience variations in emotional reactions with symptoms like always on watch out for danger, intense guilt or shame, concentration problems, and high tempers displaying aggressive behaviors as well as angry outbursts. Additionally, they will experience trouble in getting sleep and will be easily distracted and startled. PTSD symptoms can vary in adversity over time. Ford, (2009) explains that a patient may experience more PTSD symptoms when depressed or stressed in general, or when encounter reminders of what they underwent.
For instance, you may hear a car tyre burst and relive combat experiences, or you may see a report, documentary on television about a sexual assault and feel overcome by memories of their attack. She adds that experiencing or learning about a traumatic event challenges a person's sense of safety, leading to feelings of vulnerability and powerlessness. Recovery from the event involves facing human vulnerability in a way that boosts the development of resilience. However, the body's biologic responses in after the occurrence of a traumatizing event may stimulate a state of fear that negatively affects the restoration of feelings of safety, particularly if the result leads to further incidents, such as war. Living in a state of intense fear can hinder a person's coping mental resources and make this person avoid thoughts and feelings related to the traumatic event.
Avoidance reduces opportunities to fight or diminish fear responses like, through exposure to information that could correct exaggerated beliefs about the safety of the world and the fragility of the person — and inhibits the advancement of
proper coping techniques, which leads to more social, interpersonal, or occupational disruption. Because of the trauma, anger, feelings of disappointment, horror, sadness, humiliation, and guilt can also occur. Many patients blame themselves for failing to act in ways that could have averted the event or mitigated the circumstances of the event. No matter what the emotional response, the process of recovery requires acknowledgment of changes that have occurred because of the traumatic event. Although many traumatized persons attempt to avoid distressing emotions related to their experiences, being able to confront them will promote habituation, so that over time, their thoughts about and emotional responses to the event will become less distressing. Despite the numerous psychological effects of the Post Stress and Traumatic Disorder, patients can be treated, and their lives can return to normal.
PTSD patients must seek treatment from a mental health care professional experienced with PTSD. Some people will need to try different treatments to find what works for their symptoms. Foa & International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, (2009) suggests that early treatments within the first months lead to better results as opposed to late treatment. They suggest several methods on this. One of these methods is group therapy.
It is evident that many people would want to talk about their trauma with others who have had similar experiences. In this type of treatment, the patient speaks people who also have been through a trauma and who have PTSD. Sharing with others will ease their burdens and help these patients cope with their condition, memories, and their lives generally. Group therapy assists the patients develop bonds and relationship with other people who understand what
they are going through.
These forums assist them to handle emotions of shame, guilt, denial anger, and fear. Sharing with other people in those groups largely helps these patients to build on confidence and trust. Here, they will learn to appreciate their lives at present as opposed being overwhelmed by their disturbing past. Another way of treating this psychological disorder is by use of exposure therapy.
Here the patients are made to conquer their fears by being exposed to the environments that caused their conditions, but in a safer way. This technique uses methods like visits to the places where the patients met their conditions, mental imagery, or writing. With these techniques, the therapist will assist these individuals in recovering from this situation. The therapist can also use cognitive restructuring to help these patients make sense of their bad memories. By viewing their predicaments in a different way, these patients will have a feeling that what happened to them was not their fault. Realizing that this is not their fault, they will learn to accept what happened to them; these patients will be able to let go of their guilt, therefore, leading to the start of their healing process.
Experts further advice for a stress inoculation training where a person will be taught how to reduce the memories and look at their memories at a healthy way. Technological advancement has also played a significant role in the treatment of PSTD. Through this, virtual treatment has been developed. This mode of therapy involves a virtual exposure of a person to the environment that caused the condition, without physically taking the person there. From here, the therapist will stimulate a
situation that will suit the patient and help them forget the actual occurrence.
Finally, the therapists advice for therapy in counseling where through these, the counselor will direct the patient on the best way to fight this disorder. Equally, the therapist can recommend proper drugs to suppress this psychological condition and help the patient back to normalcy. In conclusion, patients with PSTD experience stigma and segregation by the society. The society should treat these patients with love and understanding, instead of reprimanding them, as this will only increase guilt on the patients’ side. They should therefore provide them with necessary support to ensure that they conquer their fears.
The society leaders can also play a major role in preventing situations that leads to trauma, which finally causes conditions like PSTD. They can do this by enforcing very strict punishment for criminals who purport murders and rape to prevent situations like those in the society. The members of the society should also be provided with proper education on how to handle members with Post Stress Traumatic Disorder. This is because, despite medical and helps from therapists, they are the ones who live with these patients in their homes and should know the best ways to help them return to normalcy.
References
- Beckner, V. L., & Arden, J. B. (2008). Conquering post-traumatic stress disorder: The newest techniques for overcoming symptoms, regaining hope, and getting your life back. Beverly, Mass: Fair Winds Press.
- Foa, E. B., & International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. (2009). Effective treatments for PTSD: Practice guidelines from the
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. New York: Guilford Press.
Ford, J. D. (2009). Posttraumatic stress disorder: Scientific and professional dimensions.
Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic Press.
