Psychological Understanding of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - Essay Example

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be one of the earliest recorded psychological disorders in history. Symptoms that resemble the affliction were noted in Ancient Greece as an effect of battle, and examples of these symptoms can be found throughout recorded history in similar war-related situations. However, the actual designation of PTSD and the development of related treatment did not begin until the 1970s. It is not a coincidence that interest in identifying and studying this disorder occurred in step with the much-maligned Vietnam War.

PTSD continues to be strongly linked to participation in wars (MacGregor, 2009), although this is far from the only type of traumatic experience that can be associated with the disorder. PTSD is classified as a type of anxiety disorder that occurs after you’ve witnessed, been involved in, or have otherwise experienced a traumatic event (physical and/or psychological) that involves a serious threat to some aspect of the observer’s perspective well being (which may include experiencing threats to others).

The trauma that triggers PTSD may be experienced at any age and can be in a wide variety of forms, such as being assaulted, witnessing a murder, being in battle, or living through natural disasters (NCBI, 2011). The onset and duration of PTSD can vary. Long-term afflictions (chronic), short-term (acute), and forms of the disorder that do not manifest immediately after the traumatic experience (delayed-onset) are some of the categories that describe the various kinds of PTSD. Due to a lack of evidence connecting biology to PTSD (links do exist, but they are new and few at this point), the disorder is diagnosed based on the potentially traumatic experience, as well as behavioral changes that may follow the event.