Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)- PDF

Running head: POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
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A.) Postraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has probably been in existence as long as humankind
has been rational enough to personalize the disasters that assail us. Discuss the background of
PTSD.
Background of post-traumatic stress disorder:
Posttraumatic stress disorder is considered a mental disorder that developed in patients
exposed to traumatic events such as child abuse, sexual assaults, physical and emotional distress.
The term Posttraumatic stress disorder was coined in 1970 in the United States where a large part
of U.S. military veterans of the Vietnam War developed post-traumatic stress disorder after
direct exposure to the war (Palmer, Barton et al). It was officially documented by the American
Psychiatric Association in 1980 and characteristics were typically underpinned in the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III (Hagan, Brian et al). The recent definition of post-
traumatic stress disorder differentiates between the stressor and traumatic events for the
development of disorders. During the world war, the condition often termed as shell shock or
combat neurosis. In the ancient era, it is also considered as the soldier’s heart (Hagan, Brian et
al). Most of the individuals with traumatic experience do not experience post-traumatic stress
disorder. However, individuals with interpersonal trauma often experience the disorder where
they often exhibit suicidal ideation and tendency of self-harm (Hoge, Charles et al). The
associated medical conditions for post-traumatic stress disorder are drug abuse and alcohol
abuse. While no proper explanation of the disease was discovered, the possible cause of post-
traumatic disorder is a traumatic event that causes overactive adrenalin secretion which creates
deep neurological dysfunction. The common screening method is the DSM V checklist along
with the Child PTSD Symptom Scale for the children (Lehavot, Keren, et al). In this context,

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common preventive measures for post-traumatic stress disorder include risk-targeted intervention
through modeling normal behavior and psychological debriefing.
b. Who is PTSD diagnosed, what criterion is used in diagnostics
Target group and criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder:
Individuals who are at greater risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorders include
individuals with intimate partner violence, war associated trauma followed by a battle nightmare,
individuals with life-threatening illnesses such as stroke and heart attack (Lehavot, Keren, et al).
On the other hand, patients with genetically small hippocampus often subjected to post-traumatic
stress disorder.
In order to assess post-traumatic stress disorder, DSM V is used as a diagnostic tool which
has a range of criteria that can detect, post-traumatic stress disorder. The common criteria for
post-traumatic stress disorders include
1. Individuals witnessed or experienced an event that involves serious injury or sudden
death
2. Individuals with responses of intense fear, helpless (Durodie and Wainwright 2019)
3. Individuals with recurrent distressing dreams and experience traumatic event in a dream
4. Individuals with intense psychological distress at exposure
5. Psychological reactive to the exposure
6. Efforts to avoid thoughts, conversation and markedly interest in significant activities
(Hoge, Charles W., et al)
7. Individuals with an inability to love