... Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders 2 Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder or most commonly known as PTSD, is a common problem for veterans returning from war all over the world. It can often be misdiagnosed as a traumatic brain injury or overlooked altogether because of the similarities in their symptoms. This paper will define what post-traumatic stress is as according to the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders, its correlation with insomnia and nightmares, traumatic brain injuries and rare heart conditions, and it summarizes various treatment options including virtual reality, the Recover process, cognitive processing therapy, clinical programs, the use of the drug propranolol, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Lastly, it will review problems with those treatments, involving flaws in the research studies, ethical issues and gender issues. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders 3 Defining, Diagnosing, Correlation with Insomnia and Nightmares as well as The Treatment and Recovery Processes in War Veteran’s Wars have been fought for centuries, and the soldiers fighting these wars often come home scarred, either physically, mentally, or both. Soldiers who exhibit a variety of symptoms complain about having difficulty sleeping or a hard time reconnecting with friends and family after returning from combat. These symptoms have been attributed to Da Costa’s Syndrome, effort syndrome, neurocirculatory asthenia, or soldier’s...
Words: 3561 - Pages: 15
...Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” by Erin P. Finley in the Journal of Family Violence. The following will include a summary of the article and identify the articles purpose. Following a review of three case studies the articles authority, accuracy, currency, relevance, objectivity and stability will also be examined. Patterns and Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence Committed by Returning Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder identify a subject that is becoming more relevant in society. According to the article in the Journal of Family Violence (2010) 25:737-743, intimate partner violence is more prevalent among returning Veterans than in the general population addressing the patterns and perceptions. Over all this article was well written, organized and identified the important issues however, it was limited by its small sample size. The author’s comprehension of the family’s home lives, partner violence and mental health is lean. The limited study shares two occurrences. Minor evidence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) may involve patterns and relate to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and the occurrences shared relate to the combat members time of active duty. Therefore, it leads to mixed interpretations and clinical knowledge. Article Summary The purpose of this...
Words: 1230 - Pages: 5
...the name for the acquired mental condition that follows a psychologically distressing event. The root cause of this disorder is a traumatic event which embeds itself firmly in the mind that the person may be bounded by the pain and agony of the event, experiencing it again and again as the mind stays connected with the past rather than the present, which makes it difficult to think of the future. PTSD has different effects that manifest itself in different ways in individuals such as veterans, post-partum women, and 9/11 victims. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that develops after a traumatic event. PTSD has also been called shell shock or battle fatigue. The exact cause of PTSD is unknown; however, it is triggered by exposure to some sort of traumatic event(s). Situations in which a person feels intense fear, helplessness, or horror are considered traumatic. PTSD has been reported in people who experienced, war, rape, sexual abuse, car accident, pregnancy, and much more. Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. People with PTSD experience symptoms of anxiety. Re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms are three types of symptoms that are observed. Re-experiencing symptoms may cause problems in a person’s everyday routine. They can start from the person’s own thoughts and feelings. Words, objects, or situations that are reminders of the event can also be a factor. Things that remind a person...
Words: 1274 - Pages: 6
...Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in soldier Abstract This paper will be discussing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in soldiers. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PSTD), classified as an anxiety disorder, has become increasingly important because of wars overseas, natural disasters, and domestic violence. Typically the individual with PTSD persistently avoids all thoughts, emotions and discussion of the stressor event and may experience amnesia for it. However, the event is commonly relived by the individual through intrusive, recurrent recollections, flashbacks and nightmares. The characteristic symptoms are considered acute if lasting less than three months, chronic if persisting three months or more, and with delayed onset if the symptoms first occur after six months or some years later. PTSD is distinct from the briefer acute stress disorder, and can cause clinical impairment in significant areas of functioning. We will be discussing how PTSD affects the soldiers coming from war, their behaviors, and interaction with society and suicide incidence. Keywords: PTSD, anxiety disorder, soldiers. Post Traumatic Stress disorder in soldier As of today a great number of soldiers that have returned from the Iraq war are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The most current military combats in Iraq, which have involved the ground combats as well as air battle embarked by the United States since the war in Vietnam almost 50 years ago, bring up very essential...
Words: 2976 - Pages: 12
...Kysar-Moon, M A f; Susan R. Douglas, PhDp, Ryan Hargraves, MS±; Shelley Mac Derm id Wadsworth, PhD*; Melissa Fraine, MPH§; Nicole L. Frazer, PhD§ ABSTRACT Previous studies have found deployment to combat areas to be associated with an increased risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and alcohol abuse, but many previous studies were limited by samples that were not representative of the deployed military as a whole. This study presents an overview of these three mental health problems associated with deployment among Air Force, Army, Marine Corp, and Navy service members returning from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan between January 2007 and March 2008. With postdeployment health data on over 50,000 service men and women, including diagnostic information, we were able to estimate prevalence of those who screened positive for risk of each disorder in self-report data at two time points, as well as prevalence of diagnoses received during health care encounters within the military health care system. The prevalence ranges of the three disorders were consistent with previous studies using similar measures, but service members in the Navy had higher rates of screening positive for all three disorders and higher prevalence of depression and PTSD diagnoses compared to the other branches. Further, PTSD risk was higher for service members returning from Afghanistan compared to Iraq, in contrast to previous findings. INTRODUCTION The m ental health burden on...
Words: 5819 - Pages: 24
... but they can’t quite get them back to civilian life and a humble heart. - JUNIOR ENLISTED MARINE, POST-IRAQ After we came back, many of us were only back in body. Our souls stayed over there. – ARMY COMBAT ENGINEER, POST-IRAQ Transition can mean the big picture of how a warrior has to try to adjust back into society, but the short term is very critical, from when a warrior leaves the battlefield to when they hit the streets at home. If there’s one thing I learned from my experiences, it was that there was no transition at all. –VIETNAM VETERAN Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has become the major medical issue with our soldiers returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. For many soldiers, it is a badge of honor to have served but for most, it is a start to an endless battle of finding the courage to continue to serve or be labeled an unfit soldier for the military and useless to their family. PTSD affects not only the soldier’s way of life but the core of who the soldier is. For this reason, the government should take special care informing society what is PTSD, who gets PTSD and what types of treatments are available to them. Government must ensure there are programs in place to assist soldiers and family members in dealing with PTSD issues. The Department of Defense and Veterans Administration to encourage service members and veterans to seek help early, before problems...
Words: 2079 - Pages: 9
...in a military only to come home to a world who looks down on them because they are no longer normal and find it very hard to adjust to the civilian world due to the imagines stained on their brain from the world. In the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, about one in ten returning soldiers seen in VA have a problem with alcohol or other drugs (Veteran Affairs 2012). As human service provider I witness this co diagnosis of PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and SUD (Substance Abuse Disorder) daily and it has encouraged me to form a opinion. After some deep thought I would like to look into the efficiency of the treatment prescribed to solders suffering from PTSD and which is more effective. In this paper I will be looking Cognitive behavioral therapy offered when trying to treat PTSD and SUD . On the other hand I will like to look into a variety of medication therapy which includes anxiety medication and drugs known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. On an weekly basis I deal with over 100 veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD and in most cases are dual diagnosed with SUD (Substance Use Disorder). While looking over these veterans charts I notice that many have attended Cognitive behavioral therapy,...
Words: 1635 - Pages: 7
...When it comes to music therapy, it is important to understand its origins and how has been effective. “Music can be described as an embodied flow in time of our sense of being. When listening to music, we have available the possibility of experiencing ourselves as both familiar and changed,” (Sutton & De Backer, 2009, p. 76). “Music can affect a person’s thoughts, feelings and behavior and has been shown to assist with managing stress, expressing emotion and improving communication,” (Arora, 2013). In order to understand how music therapy works, one must understand what music therapy is. Music therapy is “the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals-helps people with understanding and developing...
Words: 1308 - Pages: 6
...reality. Today’s military deployments may occur in rapid succession and be extended. Therefore, military personnel and their families must always be deployment-ready. Deployments are not easy and can create significant stress for U.S. military men and women and their families. In many cases deployments cans create problems in families. It can contribute to marital problems, family dysfunction, and emotional or behavioral disturbance in spouses and children. The primary purpose of this research paper is to describe the effects of military deployments on a families and children. This paper will discuss the effects and they type of effects the military families and children are faced with. “Deployments in the United States have increased greatly in the past 10 years. Families and children are psychiatrically affected by these deployments and recent studies are clarifying these effects.” (James 2012, p.16) Deployments in military service entails the departing of men and women who leave their families and their homes with a group of other soldiers (Army, Air force, Marines, Navy) and go to another country for a period of 90 days to 15 months. During this time they earn what is called combat pay. This is given because of the danger they are placed in while in these other countries. “A soldier’s life exists on a...
Words: 3070 - Pages: 13
...Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often associated with war veterans. These days, assuming symptoms of PTSD in soldiers returning from combat tours is almost stereotypical. In fact, in the 2012 American Psychological Association (APA) annual meeting, some argue to change PTSD to post-traumatic stress “injury” to be more accommodating to soldiers, and to resolve the issue of unreported PTSD-related symptoms within military ranks (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Military officials explained that many soldiers do not report their symptoms because of the fear of being viewed as weak (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, the incidence of PTSD can be as common among civilians as it is for those in the military. Barlow and Durand (2013) reported recent studies showing that those who are “raped, held captive, tortured, or kidnapped, or badly assaulted” are more at risk for developing PTSD than those who experienced military combat. While the reports conveying “zero” conditional risk of PTSD from exposure to military combat seem to need clarification, PTSD remains to be a debilitating condition for those who have the proclivity to develop the disorder. This paper will discuss the diagnostic criteria, etiology, effective treatment, and outcome research pertaining to PTSD. PTSD: A trauma and stressor-related disorder PTSD now belongs in the group of trauma and stressor-related disorders as published in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual...
Words: 2879 - Pages: 12
...247). Examples include a serious threat to one's life (or that of one's children, spouse, etc.), rape, military combat, natural or accidental disasters, and torture. Sexual activity with an adult is a traumatic experience for a child.Like adults who experience trauma, children and adolescents who have been abused cope by using a variety of psychological mechanisms. One of the most effective ways people cope with overwhelming trauma is called "dissociation." Dissociation is a complex mental process during which there is a change in a person's consciousness which disturbs the normally connected functions of identity, memory, thoughts, feelings and experiences (daydreaming during a boring lecture is a good example).How does trauma affect memory?People may use their natural ability to dissociate to avoid conscious awareness of a traumatic experience while the trauma is occurring. For some people, conscious thoughts and feelings, or "memories," about the overwhelming traumatic circumstance may emerge at a later date. This delayed retrieval of traumatic memories has been written about for nearly 100 years in clinical literature on military veterans who have survived combat.In fact, in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric diagnosis common among people who have survived horrific events, the defining diagnostic features are memory distortions. People with PTSD inevitably experience extremes of recall regarding traumatic circumstances: intrusive memories of the event (hypernesia)...
Words: 1310 - Pages: 6
...I. Introduction Since September 11, 2001, there have been significant changes in the security measures of air travel, financial security, but one of the most significant changes is that of military operations. The United States began combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks officially referred to as Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Since October 2001, about 1.9 million service members have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq (Asbury & Martin, 2011). OEF/OIF has many unique features with regard to the military forces being sent to fight oversees. The all-volunteer military has experienced multiple deployments to the combat areas, with an increased use of the National Guard and Reserve Components, higher numbers of deployed women and parents of young children, and increases in the number of service members surviving severe injuries and other side effects from combat (Shaw & Hector, 2010). Service members may be subjected to more than one deployment. Studies show that overall about 40% of current military service members have been deployed more than once, with over one quarter serving more than two tours in combat (Sheppard, Malatras, & Israel, 2010). The repeat deployments have created taxing situations for the service members and their families. Moreover, the deployments average a length of sixteen months; which includes pre-deployment training and...
Words: 7054 - Pages: 29
...The Military, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Personality Jaye Crouse Northcentral University Dr. Claire Clifford PSY8100 Jul 20, 2014 Introduction The field of personality psychology has developed out of the necessity to know why people act, feel, and think like they do, to analyze their inward and outward motivations, and to discover where behaviors originate. It is the age-old debate of nature versus nurture that is found in many psychological theories and personality is no exception. Some researchers are convinced that the structure of personality is uniform and personality traits are universal, fundamentally heritable, and comprised of broadly defined dimensions where cultural, social, and gender influences are irrelevant and personality traits are fairly stable (Cattell, Eber, & Tatsuoka, 1970; McCrae & Costa, 1997: Terracciano & McCrae, 2006). Other psychologists such as humanistic and positive psychologists believe quite the opposite and contend that humans are essentially good with free will to make choices, change outcomes, and seek out opportunities to enhance their quality of life with the goal of self-actualizing, making personality a more fluid and less deterministic perspective with a focus on values, resiliency, and subjective well-being (Cloninger, 2013). Other researchers such as Freud, Adler, Horney, and Jung believe culture, society, and environment are profoundly important influences on personality (working in tandem...
Words: 7789 - Pages: 32
...one of who was 8 year old Martin Richard. Whose mother and sister were severely injured in the explosion. (Hosken, 2013) This certainly was a horrible experience for the Richard family and for many others who were there in-between it all when it happened most likely having them develop PTSD. Traumatic experiences such as this one would often leave the people feeling shaken and disturbed and even though there would be numerous individuals with PTSD this essay will focus on the Richard family and how what they have gone through would be a great cause for them developing PTSD. (Train, 2009) This essay will discuss PTSD thoroughly looking at the following aspects. The clinical description, epidemiology, etiology, the diagnostic criteria according to the DSM-IV-TR and lastly the treatment and prognosis will all be discussed in this essay making reference to the Richard family for a clearer understanding of PTSD. 2. Clinical Description A traumatic experience can be described as exposure to an event where someone feels fear, helplessness or horror. (Barlow, 2012) Where victims such as the Richard family may experience some afterward effects of the bombing. First thing that people with PTSD may experience after a traumatic experience is flashbacks. (Barlow, 2012) The victims will reexperience the event through memories and nightmares. These memories and nightmares are usually accompanied by...
Words: 2998 - Pages: 12
...Affected by PTSD Future Considerations Overview of Trauma & Stress Related Disorders Trauma- and stressor-related disorders include disorders in which exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is listed explicitly as a diagnostic criterion- DSM 5 Category includes: Reactive Attachment Disorder Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Acute Stress Disorder Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In PTSD, a traumatic event is thought to cause a pathological memory that is at the center of the characteristic clinical symptoms associated with the disorder. Clinical Description 1. Intrusion: Recurrent reexperiencing of the event through nightmares, intrusive images, and physiological reactivity 2. Avoidance of thoughts, feelings or reminders of the trauma 3. Negative Cognitions and Mood: Feelings of detachment, as well as negative emotional states such as shame or anger, or distorted blame of oneself or others 4. Arousal and Reactivity: Hypervigilance, excessive response when startled, aggression, and reckless behavior What is the difference between Adjustment Disorder and PTSD? In adjustment disorder, the stressor is something that is commonly experienced, and the nature of the psychological reaction is much less severe. In PTSD, there is exposure to a traumatic stressor that is accompanied by fear, helplessness, and horror, and the psychological distress is both severe and debilitating (Butcher et. al 2014) Diagnostic Criteria of PTSD (DSM 5) Note:...
Words: 2347 - Pages: 10
