Post traumatic stress disorder

The complex nature of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often requires long-term therapy. PTSD is a syndrome that produces behavioral abnormalities which affect not only the patient, but his or her family and community. Whereas PTSD was once thought to afflict only survivors of war, psychoanalytical research indicates that this syndrome is experienced by victims of violence and natural disasters as well.

The term post traumatic stress disorder was initially defined in 1980 in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). DSM-III-R, the revised 1987 edition, lists five criteria for diagnosing this disorder. First, the person must have experienced a life-altering event capable of causing extreme distress to almost anyone. Typical events include serious bodily trauma to oneself or to one's family and close friends, witnessing the catastrophic destruction of one's home or community, or having contact with the victim of an accident or incidence of physical violence. Second, the traumatic event is re-experienced through recurring dreams, flashbacks, feelings of deja vu, etc. Third, the person struggles to avoid thoughts, feelings, activities or situations associated with the initial trauma, all of which avoidance may lead to repression, numbness, or even psychogenic amnesia. Fourth, specific symptoms such as insomnia, increased anger, or hyperalertness are present. Fifth, the post traumatic difficulties must

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Friedman (1981) cites a study by Archibald and Tuddenham in which World War II veterans reported more frequent symptoms during a 20-year follow-up than at the time of the initial assessment (p. 934). Modlin (1986) evaluated 25 survivors of a skywalk collapse one and one-half years after the incident and found that only one-fifth were near recovery, the others ranged from "severely disabled" to "various states of repair" (p. 41). Terr (1994) studied the 26 children kidnapped in their school bus in Chowchilla and found that even five years later all retained vivid, detailed memories of the mishap (p. 10). Female victims of sexual assault are known to suffer psychological repercussions for decades. The PTSD that women experience as a result of sexual trauma may inadvertently contribute to the re-enactment of trauma: "Assault increases women's risk of violence-related stress, which increases their risk of alcohol and substance abuse, which increases their risk of being assaulted again (Science News, 1994, p. 5). PTSD in Vietnam veterans has been the subject of much research, and in many respects, their post-trauma symptoms are typical of other victims of abuse, violence, or catastrophic events. Most, but not all, research

Category: Psychology - P