Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is a debilitating anxiety disorder experienced by many people who have been exposed to traumatic events. Some traumatic events include warfare, genocide, rape, or even a car accident. Results of witnessing or being a part of these incidents can result in flashbacks, emotional numbing, and hypervigilance. In the Civil War, it was referred to as “Da Costa’s Syndrome,” named after the Civil War doctor who described the symptoms. During WWI, PTSD was called “shell shock,” and after WWII, it was called “combat figure.” PTSD studies only started after the end of the Vietnam War. It was realized traumas caused the same symptoms and the disorder was consequently termed “posttraumatic stress disorder.” …show more content…
Then, whenever the animal or person experiences this neutral stimulus, it automatically prepares itself for the impending event. A similar process may explain PTSD. When someone is subjected to a profoundly stressful situation, he or she will become sensitized to the event and to the circumstances that predict its recurrence. For example, if someone witnesses a murder, any number of stimuli that were associated with the situation, such as a gun or the weapon used, a suspicious looking person, or even similar scenery could elicit a fear response (Kohn). Those with PTSD demonstrate the following three types of symptoms: involuntarily re-experiencing the event through both dreams and flashbacks, becoming aloof and emotionally detached, and those with the disorder are likely to be onalert constantly and hypervigilant. Consequently, because of these symptoms, those who have PTSD often times also suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, and substance related disorders (Ciccarelli and White …show more content…
On one of his assignments, he worked a machine gun on a patrol helicopter. Carl describes one mission in which he and his platoon were walking around Vietnam looking for the enemy. His platoon stumbled onto a group of five Vietnamese enemies. Carl then went on to graphically describe the incident which undoubtedly lead to his development of PTSD. After this mission, he returned to the United States, and the psychological problems began to show themselves as he developed hypervigilance, emotional detachment and flashbacks. Carl stated he would receive flashbacks of being in the jungle, threatened, unarmed, and looking for a weapon. Then, out of nowhere, someone would jump in his face and be all angry, and other people would start dragging him away. He described events of seeing the Viet Cong around, just flashing in his mind. A few years later, while in college, Carl began PTSD treatment. While in college he would sit in the far left of the classroom and look out the window, watch the door, and look around the classroom as he was always ready incase somebody attacked him. He would repeat this process every time he entered the room. He gradually broke the habit and by the time he graduated, he was sitting in the front of the classroom, right in the middle, which is the most vulnerable spot. Carl explained how therapy changed his life back around, allowing himself to