Post-traumatic stress disorder - Research Paper Example

 Post-traumatic stress disorder Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by an individual being subjected to a psychologically traumatic event. When an individual is exposed to such an event, their stress and hormone levels rise to an abnormal level, making it difficult for the brain to properly regulate the unusually high amounts. As a result, the individual is unable to properly cope with the traumatic event or the stress that developed. They become emotionally numb and detached from the world as they try to ignore everything related to the event, while attempting to prevent something else from happening to them. Individuals who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder can obtain treatment via medications and various types of therapy. Post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can occur after someone has experienced psychological trauma, which can come in the form of feeling as though their life has been threatened, potential death, or an attack against one’s sexual, psychological, or physical virtues. This disorder develops right after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, though symptoms have been known to take months to show. After a traumatic event, if the coping and adjusting period does not subside after a short period of time, diagnostic procedures are undergone to determine the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. As is the case with many anxiety disorders, there is no definite, singular cause of post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, since post-traumatic stress disorder shares characteristics with other disorders, it becomes difficult to come upon a conclusive diagnosis. However, there are numerous factors that are known to play a role in the developing of the disorder. The most primary factors are the life experiences that an individual has been exposed to since early childhood. Abuse and neglect are common triggers of post-traumatic stress disorder. If the abuse is not bridled by positive help or reinforcement, the person can gradually develop this anxiety disorder (Fredericks, 2010). Another primary factor is that an individual has to have been subjected to a life-altering and threatening event. A situation of this magnitude can be witnessed by the individual as a bystander, or it can be experienced first-hand by the individual. On a daily basis, millions of people put themselves at risk of developing the disorder simply by going to work. Police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians face threats of death to themselves and to others, constantly putting themselves at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder. While these people are trained to be able to handle any horrific medical situation, their brains can still respond differently to the levels of stress that they become subjected to upon arriving at a traffic accident or a murder scene. Similarly, people who frequently commute can risk witnessing or even becoming involved in car accidents. Events like these are jarring to a person, mentally and physically. The chance of developing post-traumatic stress disorder is four times greater in women than in men. Women, being more emotionally driven and often smaller in stature than men, face more risks to being subjected to a traumatic event. While men who have exposure to war and combat stand a greater risk of developing the disorder over other men, women also face the possibilities of rape, sexual molestation, or being attacked or threatened with a weapon. Men can experience these too, but their size allows them to be better opponents for attackers. Regardless of gender, though, any form of abuse or neglect can onset post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder does not only develop psychologically, but physically as well. When an individual is subjected to an abnormally high level of stress and fear, which comes as a result of being involved in a traumatic event, their levels of hormones also become irregular. This drastically alters the way that their body and brain responds to their stress. New chemicals form in the mind when the brain is confronted with stress, but if the chemicals and hormones are not regulated in a healthy, normal way, the individual’s body develops an equally abnormal way to cope with its stress (Afgan, 2010). During the abnormal coping process and levels of stress, the individual experiences an overactive adrenaline response. This response creates deep neurological patterns in the brain, causing a person to become more hyper-responsive to future traumatic events. Scientists and doctors also believe that genetics play a role in the causation of post-traumatic stress disorder. If an individual has a family history of anxiety disorders, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder, they stand a greater chance of developing the disorder. An inherited predisposition to anxiety disorders puts others in that gene family at risk for developing similar disorders. Furthermore, an individual’s risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder based on genetics can be determined through any inherited temperaments or characteristics of the personality. This can determine their ability or inability to cope and adjust to abnormally high levels of stress. The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder usually make themselves known a few weeks after the traumatic event has been experienced. However, there have been cases where people have shown their symptoms three months to seven years after the initial traumatic exposure. The most common type of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are intrusive memories. These can take the forms of flashbacks or nightmares, and they force the individual to relive the event. The individual is consistently reminded of the traumatic situation and becomes unable to escape the feelings that it provoked. When a person suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, they do everything within their power to not be reminded of the traumatic event. They go out of their way to avoid talking to people, visiting places, or engaging in situations that might spark a flashback. Many develop memory problems, which is an unconscious method used to entirely forget about the event. They feel emotionally numb and have difficulty concentrating as they try to keep their mind on other things. Because of this coping mechanism, a sufferer of post-traumatic stress disorder tends to cut ties with people in their life and they cease to do activities that they once found enjoyable. Furthermore, due to the threat on their life, someone who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder handles other situations in life differently. They do not feel hopeful that they will have a future, and every second feels like it may be their last. Instead, while trying to avoid remembering the situation, the individual also becomes more aware of their surroundings. They develop paranoia and lose sleep as they attempt to decipher all the sounds and activity around them, trying to pinpoint another possible threat against their life. When treated in a timely manner, a person can overcome their post-traumatic stress disorder. Though there are no medications specific to post-traumatic stress disorder, psychiatrists prescribe medications based on symptoms. Antidepressants can help with depression and anxiety, as well as difficulties with sleeping and concentrating. Prazosin is one of the most prescribed medications as it can “block the brain’s response to norepinephrine, which is an adrenaline-like brain chemical that can cause hyper-arousal and paranoia in a patient (Horowitz, 2011).” A person is usually prescribed medications before entering the next phase of treatment, which is therapy. The majority of therapeutic treatments revolve around determining the aspect of the event that caused the person to feel threatened and learning techniques to allow them to cope and adjust healthily to their emotional responses in regard to the event. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that is triggered by an exposure to a traumatic and life-threatening event. While that is the primary cause of the disorder, other causes include neurological patterns in the brain and genetics. Symptoms range from flashbacks and nightmares to emotional numbness and avoiding anything even remotely related to the traumatic event. Treatment options are available for sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder, and they include medication to help ease symptoms and chemical reactions in the brain, and therapy to help them pinpoint the cause of their reaction and learn techniques to help them cope better with their emotions and their fears. References Afgan, N. (2010). Neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers. Fredericks, C. (2010). Post-traumatic stress disorder. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Horowitz, M. (2011). Treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders. New York: Createspace. Read More