...NDIZIHIWE Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Soldiers, Communities, Societies From War Participation MARCH 2012 TABLE OF CONTENT PROLOGUE PART I POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Part II: IMPACT ON THE INDIVIDUAL Part III: IMPACT ON FAMILY Part IV: IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY PART V: OVERCOMING POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER PART VI: DISCUSSION BIBLIOGRAPHY Post-Traumatic stress Disorders on Soldiers, Communities, Societies from War Participation Prologue A few years back when I was in Rwanda, it was no longer surprising to a attend a memorial ceremony and each time, all of a sudden, some women would start screaming:"They are coming for me!" as if they were being chased to death or men losing control and start shouting at another group of people:"You murderers!". We were used to this phenomenon but a newcomer would certainly creep out. For me, their reaction is perfectly understandable and tough I view it from my country's perspective and experience, post traumatic stress disorder is a global sociological and psychological issue that needs to be addressed. Conflicts inciting violence are still going on, some have ended but a large number of war survivors and victims are still haunted by the memories, they have experienced the worst situations humanly possible and if the issue is not addressed properly, trauma can be perpetual. Post traumatic...
Words: 4445 - Pages: 18
...tragic event that could scar a person for life. Some events may include robberies, pranks, or injuries. However, conceive of a horrific event such as a bombing, deaths, gunshots, war, etc. Soldiers who fight for our country face these traumatic events every day. For example, in the text, “Combat-Related Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD a Resource and Recovery Guide” by Cheryl Lawhorne and Don Philpott, it states, “The destructive force of war creates an atmosphere of chaos and compels service members to face the terror of unexpected injury, loss, and death. The combat environment (austere living conditions, heavy physical demands, sleep deprivation, periods of intense violence followed by unpredictable periods of relative inactivity, separation from loved ones, etc.) is itself a psychological stressor that may precipitate a wide range of emotional distress and/or psychiatric disorders.” (Lawhorne and Philpott 12)....
Words: 1554 - Pages: 7
...Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a psychological disorder that is triggered when an individual experiences a traumatic event in their lives. Most people that suffer from PTSD show symptoms that can have negative impacts on their lives. With the right professional help, sufferers of PTSD can recover and maintain a normal and healthy lifestyle. Following a traumatic experience, individuals may start showing symptoms of PTSD within the first month. However, symptoms may not surface for a year or more. The symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder are placed into three categories; intrusive memories, increased anxiety or hyper-arousal, or avoidance and numbing. An individual that has PTSD my show symptoms of; flashbacks, bad dreams about the experience, avoiding talking or thinking about experience, feeling numb emotionally, hopelessness, decreased activity, irritability, anger, guilt, sleep disturbance, or hearing or seeing things that are not real (Mayo Clinic, 2012). Negative emotions are a normal reaction that an individual may feel after experiencing a traumatic event, however, when the symptoms last more than a month medical attention should be sought. Symptoms arise when a person is not able to deal with the trauma experienced and in severe cases a person may want to inflict harm onto themselves or another individual (Mayo Clinic, 2012). PTSD may develop after a person experiences, sees, or learns of an event that causes...
Words: 993 - Pages: 4
...Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Post-traumatic Stress Disorder When people think about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, everyone thinks about different things. The thoughts of men and women coming home from a war and truly are traumatized by what they saw, and are not able to recover to live a life like they had before they went to war. Doctors will be the first to say that this is not the only way for people to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress. People right in any neighborhood can develop the disorder and have never stepped foot near an army, navy, or marine base in their life. There are many ways for a person to develop post-traumatic stress without going to war, which most people are probably unaware of when they start to read about it. Although every person suffers differently and the effects and symptoms of PTSD are frequently different with each person, they all suffer from the same disorder. Post-traumatic Stress or more commonly known as PTSD is a regular reaction to an uncharacteristic experience that is far outside normal human experience, causing substantial distress and damage to a person mentally, physically, and emotionally. When people have experienced a tragic life experience, many develop symptoms of PTSD because of the tragedy. Tragic experiences can range from going to war and seeing horrific scenes, a bad car accident that injured themselves and possibly others, and childhood situations such as molestation or loss of a parent or close family...
Words: 1520 - Pages: 7
...Post-traumatic Stress Disorder By: Eric Wallace COM/156 May 18, 2013 Ms. Burright Post-traumatic Stress Disorder When you think about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, what do you think about? For me, the thoughts of men and women coming home from a war and being traumatized by what they say, and not being able to recover to live a life like they had before they went to war. Doctors will be the first to tell you that this is not the only way for people to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress. People right in your own neighborhood can develop the disorder and have never stepped foot near an army, navy, or marine base in their life. How could this have happened you ask? Well there are many ways for a person to develop post-traumatic stress without going to war, which most of you are probably unaware of when you started reading about it. Although every person suffers differently and the effects and symptoms of PTSD are frequently different with each person, they all suffer from the same disorder. Post-traumatic Stress or more commonly known as PTSD is a regular reaction to an uncharacteristic experience that is far outside normal human experience, causing substantial distress and damage to a person mentally, physically, and emotionally. When people have experienced a tragic life experience, many develop symptoms of PTSD because of the tragedy. Tragic experiences can range from going to war and seeing horrific scenes, a bad car accident that injured themselves and/or...
Words: 1548 - Pages: 7
...2012 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD- Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health problem that can occur after one goes through a traumatic event in their life. Today, military people or people who struggled with challenges, such as injuries caused by the attack on September eleven, could have been experiencing the PTSD. Doctors, families, Psychologists, and scientists are very concerned about this disorder and are finding right ways to resolve this problem. Some scientific studies have been completed over the past few years. The studies were regarding the impacts of combat deployments and their relation to spouse abuse. Research in the article “Psychology of Violence” shows that numerous psychological and behavioral outcomes are related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The most common symptoms were depression, alcohol intoxication, and spouse abuse. The September eleven, terrorist attack, serving in military, and being deployed into a war has a direct impact on soldiers and their families. The article gives us three studies that examined the effects of deployment on spouse abuse. The first study discovered that returning Army soldiers report abuse rates that lasted longer than six months (McCarroll et. al.,2000). The second and third study found no association between deployment and self-reported spouse abuse during a post deployment period neither wives nor soldiers reported it (McCarroll et.al., 2003). In this essay I would like to talk about Post-Traumatic...
Words: 1444 - Pages: 6
...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the invisible wound, affects 11% of veterans of the war in Afghanistan and 20% of Iraqi war veterans (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic / Neuroscience and PTSD Treatments, 2009). The diagnosis of PTSD or the suspicion that one has PTSD alone does not label a combat veteran as violent. There may be other factors at play which could make the person a threat or that may play a role in a crime already committed such as emotional disorders or substance abuse. Violence such as abuse or assault with a deadly weapon taken in the context of war may be adaptive and appropriate because anger instincts are often difficult to reconcile into everyday life. If treated, post-9/11 combat veterans diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder typically are not dangerous and do not pose a...
Words: 1185 - Pages: 5
...The ChildTrauma Academy www.ChildTrauma.org EFFECTS OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS ON CHILDREN AN INTRODUCTION Traumatic Event Prolonged Alarm Reaction Altered Neural Systems BD Perry MD, PhD Bruce D. Perry, MD, Ph.D. This booklet is one in a series developed by the ChildTrauma Academy to assist parents, caregivers, teachers and various professionals working with maltreated and traumatized children. All Rights Reserved © 2003 Bruce D. Perry Effects of Trauma on Children: Perry 2 Introduction Each year in the United States approximately five million children experience some form of traumatic experience. More than two million of these are victims of physical and/or sexual abuse. Millions more are living in the terrorizing atmosphere of domestic violence. Natural disasters, car accidents, life-threatening medical conditions, painful procedures, exposure to community violence – all can have traumatic impact on the child. By the time a child reaches the age of eighteen, the probability that any child will have been touched directly by interpersonal or community violence is approximately one in four. Traumatic experiences can have a devastating impact on the child, altering their physical, emotional, cognitive and social development. In turn, the impact on the child has profound implications for their family, community and, ultimately, us all. Traumatic events in childhood increase risk for a host of social (e.g., teenage pregnancy, adolescent...
Words: 7654 - Pages: 31
...described or labeled as the mental disorders they likely are. Such examples of psychological trauma are used to set the stage for describing the individuals involved without much thought to the consequence of naming such disorders or what the diagnosis entail, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. While Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has remained, by and large, an accompanying evil byproduct of war it is not solely reserved for the soldiers who fight in battle; PTSD can be observed condition in any human being that has ever experienced disturbing events like those seen during war and armed conflict. In the books A Long Way Gone, Novel Without a Name, and Slaughter House Five there are clear undertones and powerful warning sign of post-traumatic stress disorder revealed in the characters during the course of the novels even if the condition was unnamed. In the book A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, the principal character in a story and author of this novel clearly pronounces his own battles with post-traumatic stress disorder. Beah speaks of the war violating the peaceful and happy ways of life in his home, Sierra Leone while he was only 10 years old and of how he was force onto an expedition to find his family that morphed into bloody fighting and a retribution for their deaths and of pure survival. Beah is witness to death, despair, murder, rape, and theft and is later forced into the ranks of the army to battle back again the rebels that were ripping his homeland apart...
Words: 1814 - Pages: 8
...A Look into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Rachael S 09/15/2013 PTSD affects 7.7 million American adults, but it can occur at any age (NIMH, PTSD, Who is at risk). The sight of violence and death leaves lasting effects on people. How do you think those people cope with what they saw when the Twin Towers went down? How do people cope with such traumatic experiences? The events that lead to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can impact one’s life, fortunately there are ways to treat it. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm (National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), post-traumatic stress disorder Para 2). It is the consequence of a deeply shocking, threatening, and disturbing experience such as military combat, a serious road accident, sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attack, or natural disasters are all possible causes of the onset of PTSD (MacDonald, 2008). PTSD became a formal diagnosis in 1980 (Lavin, Joanne, page 42). Think about when the Twin Towers went down because of terrorist attack, this had a huge impact on many lives. Many people died or injured that day, and the people that survived the terrorist attack, witnessed bodies burned up by the fire and heard screams of fear and pain. Hurricane Katrina took many lives as well. Katrina caused an abundance of damage like taking and injuring lives, demolishing homes and businesses, flooded the homes that weren’t...
Words: 1225 - Pages: 5
...Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression can have crippling impacts on the lives of police officers. There seems to be an increasing number of officers that have PTSD and depression symptoms that tie back directly to an incident that occurred on the job. PTSD and depression in officers is a known issue yet there have been minimal steps taken to reduce their effects. Despite the presence of programs that attempt to address and help victims of PTSD and depression, it is evident that these programs often have major shortcomings. Most departments have begun to explore secondary options that will allow officers to have an outlet for their stress, which shows there are options that could have positive impacts on victims of PTSD and depression....
Words: 1547 - Pages: 7
...Running head: POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Military Veterans Jason Rosenbaum Grand Canyon University HLT-515 Dr. Rick Edwards 22 June 2014 Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Military Veterans Negative mental health outcomes following warzone exposure, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), can serve as a barrier for veterans reintegrating back into civilian life. PTSD is marked by clear physical and psychological symptoms caused by physical injury or an intense emotional distress. PTSD in military veterans can occur following a life-threatening event such as military combat, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape. PTSD symptoms include depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other physical and mental health problems. This disorder can also be traced to difficulties in social settings or family life, finding a job, marital problems, and in performing parental acts. PTSD is a condition that impacts American military personnel who have returned from deployment and were exposed to encounters with the enemy. Approximately 7% of Americans develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in their lives (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin, Merikangas, & Walters, 2005). Due to increased exposure to traumatic situations (i.e., combat), the prevalence of PTSD is much greater among war veterans compared to the general population...
Words: 2173 - Pages: 9
...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After experiencing a traumatic event, the mind horde away the memories and then send them back at unexpected times and places, even after years have passed. It does so in such a way that makes the recall just as traumatizing as the first time it happened. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is 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...
Words: 1274 - Pages: 6
...Mental Health Case Study Ron Kovic is a Caucasian-American male, 71 years of age, who was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after serving two tours of duty with the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam war. The patient was also paralyzed from the chest down after being shot first in the right foot, which tore out the back of his heel, then again through the right shoulder, suffering a collapsed lung and a spinal cord injury during his second tour. Consequently, the patient spent a week in an intensive care ward in Da Nang military hospital in central Vietnam before being sent back to the United States and admitted at a Bronx veteran’s hospital in New York. The patient hailed from a Roman Catholic family, whose...
Words: 1139 - Pages: 5
...Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of Operation Stress Injury; it is a mental illness. PTSD involves exposure to trauma involving death or the threat of death, serious injury, or sexual violence. PTSD causes intrusive symptoms such as re-experiencing the traumatic event. Many people have vivid nightmares, flashbacks, or thoughts of the event that seem to come from nowhere (http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/). They often avoid things that remind them of the event—for example, someone who was hurt in a car crash might avoid driving. PTSD can make people feel very nervous or ‘on edge’ all the time. Many feel startled very easily, have a hard time concentrating, feel irritable, or have problems sleeping...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
