PTSD is a disorder commonly observed in individuals who may have seen or been through extreme events that involve were traumatic. Some of the common traumatic events predisposing people to PTSD include sexual assault, cases involving serious injuries or even death. The roots of the disorder can be traced back to the First World War, where the soldiers involved were observed to be shocked by the experiences they had during combat. It, however, took years before it was established and recognized as a mental disorder in 1980 by the American Psychiatric Association (National Institute of Mental Health).
In conceptualizing the causes of PTSD, it is important to recognize that fear is a very natural reaction in every human being. Exposure to traumatic events forces the body to undergo rapid changes, which are healthy. With time, these changes caused by fear fade with time, but for some people, the initial reactions do not go away. Such individuals are diagnosed with PTSD. The individuals seem to be in a constant state of fear which is not healthy. In getting a further understanding of the causes of PTSD, it is important to note that the events that predispose one to the disorder are traumatic and not upsetting. Upsetting events include cases of divorce and financial difficulties (Iribarren, Prolo and Neogos 505).
PTSD is understood to occur in a third of the people who are subject to traumatic experiences. The implication here is that some underlying factors make some people susceptible to the disorder compared to others. Some explanations to this end include a theory that genes play a significant role. Individuals who have parents with a history of mental diseases may be more susceptible. Besides, PTSD seems to occur frequently in persons who have extreme levels of hormones in their systems. The hormone, in this case, is adrenaline, which is produced by the traumatic event, and which continues to be produced even in situations of no danger. Another probable cause of PTSD that scholars have noted, is the malfunctioning of the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for emotions and memory. People with PTSD often have the smaller hippocampus, which bears the risk of not fully processing traumatic situations (Galeo, Nandi and Vlahov 83). This failure makes the individual to constantly re-live the traumatic events.
Symptoms of PTSD
Individuals diagnosed with PTSD may have chronic PTSD, which is long term, or acute PTSD, which is short-term. Medical practitioners point out that the symptoms of the disorder are unpredictable and can be evident as soon as three months after the occurrence of a traumatic event or even years after the event occurred. For one to be diagnosed with PTSD, however, the symptoms have to occur continuously for one month. There are four categories of symptoms that a person should have, to be diagnosed as having PTSD (National Institute of Mental Health).
The first class is referred to as the re-experiencing symptoms. The symptoms are seen where an individual has constant flashbacks of the traumatic event, making them have frightening dreams and thoughts. The individuals often break into a sweat and often have their hearts racing. The re-experiencing symptoms compromise the daily routine of the people since anything within the person’s environment may act as a trigger for the symptoms (Iribarren, Prolo and Neogos 510). The other category of symptoms touches on cognition and mood. Here, the people diagnosed with PTSD often have trouble remembering the traumatic event, while starting to have negative perceptions about themselves and the society. Feelings of guilt may also make the individuals alienate themselves from the support systems around (Galeo, Nandi and Vlahov 85).
The next category of symptoms are ones that make a person develop avoidance. Here, individuals often change their routines and stop to engage in activities they previously enjoyed. This is caused by the feelings of fear and guilt, which results in the individuals avoiding objects and events that may remind them of their traumatic event. Arousal symptoms make up the next category of PTSD symptoms. These symptoms include finding it difficult to sleep, having a rage outburst and being easily frightened or startled. Unlike in other symptoms which require triggers, the arousal symptoms occur spontaneously and affects the normal routine for individuals (National Institute of Mental Health).
Treatments for PTSD
Since people react differently to treatment, there are a variety of options when it comes to the treatment of PTSD disorder. Some people may be best treated with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of both treatments. Regarding medications, individuals diagnosed with PTSD are often served with antidepressants. These are meant to arrest conditions such as feelings of worry, sadness and anger. In most cases, medicine is not offered on its own, but prescribed to go with psychotherapy. Various medical combinations are available for patients, and these are tailor made depending on the state of the patients (National Institute of Mental Health).
The other form of treatment in PTSD is psychotherapy, where individuals engage mental health professionals to help in the treatment of the disorder. Psychotherapy may occur either within a group setting or through one-on-one sessions with the mental health professional. There are different forms of therapy, but all concentrate on educating the individuals about the PTSD symptoms, how to identify aspects that trigger the symptoms and how to ultimately manage the symptoms. Some of the specific therapies that individuals can be subjected to include exposure therapy, where the people with disorders are exposed traumas similar to the ones that led to the development of the disorder. This is done in a bid to help them overcome the fear. Another therapy is referred to as cognitive restructuring where helps deal with bad memories (National Institute of Mental Health).
In conclusion, PTSD is a disorder brought about by a wide variety of the appalling conditions that people are subjected to. Symptoms majorly compromise the normal functioning of the victims, but there are various forms of treatment; mainly the combination of medications and therapy.
Works Cited
Galeo, Sandro, Arijit Nandi and David Vlahov. ""The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters."." Epidemiologic reviews 27.1 (2005): 78-91.
Iribarren, Javier, et al. ""Post-traumatic stress disorder: evidence-based research for the third millennium." ." Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2, no. 4 (2005): 503-512.
National Institute of Mental Health. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. n.d. 16 March 2016 <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml>.
