Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Background, Diagnosis, and Impact

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It begins by discussing the historical background of PTSD, tracing its evolution from early observations to its formal recognition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The essay then delves into the diagnostic criteria, outlining the specific symptoms and assessment methods used to identify PTSD, including the DSM V checklist. It further examines the incidence, impact, and various types of trauma associated with PTSD, including its prevalence rates, effects on individuals, and the common triggers. Finally, the essay explores the maladaptive patterns characteristic of PTSD, such as substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and self-harm, along with potential interventions like counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications like SSRIs. The essay uses multiple references to support the discussed topics and findings.

Running head: POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
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,

2
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
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

3
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
8. Individuals with difficulty falling or staying asleep
9. Individuals with difficulty concentrating and Hypervigilance
10. Individuals with difficulty concentrating
C. Discuss incidence, impact and trauma type. Discuss the maladaptive patterns
characteristic of PTSD.
Discuss incidence, impact and trauma type:
In the United States, approximately 3.5% of adults have post-traumatic stress order in a
given year and 9% of individuals developed post-traumatic stress order at some point in their
existence (Lehavot, Keren, et al). Post-traumatic stress order is highly common amongst women
compared to men. The common trauma pattern is prolonged trauma of a very frightening or
distressing event such as sexual assaults, rape, and death of an unborn child. The impact of post-
traumatic stress disorder is depression and anxiety where patients with post-traumatic stress
disorder often exhibit loss of appetite, low mood, and lack of social connection (Wild et al). The
patients with post-traumatic stress disorder often failed to enjoy everyday activities. They often
exhibit panic disorders and paranoia when certain environmental stressors are present. Many
trauma survivors experience flashbacks of the traumatic events that frequently disrupt their
quality of life and productivity (Lehavot, Keren, et al).. On the other hand, severe post-traumatic
stress disorders last longer than 6 months to 1 year often experience cognitive delays to lowered
verbal memory capacity.
Considering the maladaptive pattern of post-traumatic stress disorder, it is often a
common instance when patients with mild to moderate post-traumatic stress disorder exhibit
drug and other substance abuse for avoiding the traumatic event (Hoge, Charles et al). They

4
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
often have negative automated thoughts which often results in high suicidal ideation. On the
other hand, patients with mild to moderate post-traumatic stress disorder often exhibit a tendency
of self-injury followed by aggression and injury to others. Many trauma survivors attempt to
self-medicate the negative effects of PTSD. In order to reduce the maladaptive pattern of post-
traumatic stress disorder, common interventions include counseling and Cognitive behavioral
therapy. The most specific treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder is Eye movement
desensitization and reprocessing and interpersonal psychotherapy (Hoge, Charles et al). The
common medications used for reducing symptoms include Selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors and Prazosin.

5
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
References:
Durodié, Bill, and David Wainwright. "Terrorism and post-traumatic stress disorder: a historical
review." The Lancet Psychiatry 6.1 (2019): 61-71.
Hagan, Brian O., et al. "History of solitary confinement is associated with post-traumatic stress
disorder symptoms among individuals recently released from prison." Journal of Urban
Health 95.2 (2018): 141-148.
Hoge, Charles W., et al. "Unintended consequences of changing the definition of posttraumatic
stress disorder in DSM-5: critique and call for action." JAMA psychiatry 73.7 (2016): 750-752.
Lehavot, Keren, et al. "Post-traumatic stress disorder by gender and veteran status." American
Journal of Preventive Medicine 54.1 (2018): e1-e9.
Palmer, Barton W., et al. "Aging and Trauma: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Korean
War Veterans." Federal Practitioner 36.12 (2019): 554.
Wild, J., et al. "A prospective study of pre-trauma risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder
and depression." Psychological medicine 46.12 (2016): 2571-2582.