Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Illness - Research Paper Example

? Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Malisa Anderson Liberty Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) should be paid much attention to because many people suffer from it even not knowing about their diagnosis. Those who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder or have some inclinations toward this disorder should tend to avoid places, people and other things, which can somehow remind them about those dramatic events in their life, which became the reason of their disorder. The illness itself is relatively young. It was revealed in 1980, nevertheless, became a subject of a great controversy. The issue is worth-discussing, thus the given paper will try to explain the essence of the disease and it is connection with spirituality. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic stress disorder is usually considered to be very serious illness and the effects of it can be different. The victim may experience serious consequences, which influence the functions and actions of human in the family and society in general. If a woman becomes a victim of sexual violence in her childhood, it can result in the posttraumatic stress disorder and the development of dissociated personality. A child whose mother suffered from this disorder during pregnancy can also suffer from it without any visible reason that is very difficult to reveal. The changes, which can happen in the organism during pregnancy on the chemical level, are responsible for the occurrence of such illness as posttraumatic stress disorder. These changes can be fatal for adults, who experienced stress in childhood. This stress can affect the whole life of a person. Patients may not even remember the troubles they went through, but the feelings may cause suffering. In the most cases those who suffer from this illness know about the reason and they are responsible for any kind of problems with their health. It should be mentioned that people, who do not ignore the treatment, have all the chances to have perfect results from treatment. In this case a victim should get indispensable medical aid. Also it should be noticed that children under 10 years are very vulnerable towards the disease. The posttraumatic stress disorder has a negative influence on their social life and emotional development as well as on their ability for study. It is a well-known fact that this age is very important in creating the personality, so the consequences could be catastrophic in the future. Thus, it is necessary corresponding treatment should be provided without delays. Posttraumatic stress disorder can be the result of different kinds of traumas. It is usually diagnosed with the soldiers, who had experienced stress situations. They went through many situations when their life was in danger. Certainly, not only militaries can be the victims of this illness. The posttraumatic stress disorder can also appear as a consequence of some traumatic event or the number of events, which are related to different aspects of emotional and social functioning. This paper will discuss the possible approaches to treatment as well as the methods of post traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. The views from the Bible will help determine if post traumatic stress disorder is a real disease or just a temporary feeling, which can be overcome without medicines. Risk factors In order to provide effective treatment it is essential to know the reasons of the posttraumatic stress disorder. According to the sources, any kind of events or situations which can be considered as dangerous for life or events or situations that greatly influence the emotional state of a person can cause such state as posttraumatic stress disorder (Hassija, & Gray, 2007). Among the situations and events that belong to the high risk or danger for life are kidnapping, assault, natural disaster, terroristic attacks, rape, etc. It is also important to understand the risk and defense indicators that refer to the posttraumatic stress disorder. Among the risk factors, which help provoke posttraumatic stress disorder, are long duration of traumatic event, high severity of injury, presence of emotional disorder, lower social support. Children, teenagers, women and those, who were the victims of the domestic violence, are in the risk group. The most vulnerable representatives of the society appear in very difficult situation. They suffer from symptoms caused by the events, which happened in their past. They try to find out the reasons of their suffering, but they fail. This suffering affects their life greatly and prevents them from building healthy relationships with other people. Such troubles can lead to more serious consequences or even suicide attempts some of which are, unfortunately, successful. Many troubles, which are the results of the post traumatic stress disorder, happen because of the lack of the knowledge of how to behave in difficult situation. Thus, it is essential to be prepared to the different traumatic situations that can happen every moment. Every person should know how to call the police, firemen, emergency. Everybody should be familiar with the basic knowledge of medicine in order to provide the victim with help. Here it is essential to mention that the God teaches us to value our life and make it safe. Also, according to the Bible, we should not be afraid of the danger we may face, we just should take the inevitable for granted as our life can make us go through different tests. Thus we should try to struggle with the difficulties (Hassija & Gray, 2007). Notwithstanding that posttraumatic disorder is considered to be incurable, different medicines help block the development of posttraumatic stress disorder. The medicines used for treatment of depression, and those, which lower the heart rate or vice versa intensify the activity of other chemical substances in organism belong to the group of medicines used to treat posttraumatic stress disorder. Main symptoms The posttraumatic stress disorder has certain symptoms. There are three main groups of symptoms that can help diagnose the posttraumatic stress disorder correctly. Repeated traumas, emotional feedbacks and chronic physical attribute belong to them. Memory disorder or trauma nightmares belong to the repeated traumas. Sleep disturbance, attention focusing, irritability and anger belong to the chronic physical attributes. Glass and Jone (2005) state: "PTSD symptoms can follow any serious psychological trauma, such as exposure to combat, accidents, torture, disasters, criminal assault and exposure to atrocities or to the sequelae of such extraordinary events. Prisoners of war exposed to harsh treatment are particularly prone to develop PTSD. In their acute presentation these symptoms, which include subsets of a large variety of affective, cognitive, perceptional, emotional and behavioral responses which are relatively normal responses to gross psychological trauma. If persistent, however, they develop a life of their own and may be maintained by inadvertent reinforcement. Early intervention and later avoidance of positive reinforcement (which may be subtle) for such symptoms is a critical preventive measure” (Glass & Jone, 2005). In order to make the right diagnosis, it is essential to consider the symptoms of emotional disorders. The posttraumatic stress disorder can have serious consequences. Emotional disorders can be manifested by the lack of interest to the activity that person had before the trauma, isolated way of life, inability to think about the future or inability to build some plans for the future. The absence of the interest can be caused by the anhedonia (anhedonia is the term to define the lack of happiness and inability to get the pleasure from life) (Schechter DS et al.,2008). In case of posttraumatic stress disorder at least two out of three symptoms should be notices during one month. They also have to cause substantial damage or functional deterioration. Only then you will be able to diagnose the posttraumatic stress disorder, but of course it is not the only method for make diagnosis. Posttraumatic stress disorder is considered to be a chronic one if it was not treated during the first three months. After the diagnosis is made, it is important to start the treatment instantly (Schechter DS et al.,2008). It is essential to mention that the symptoms can be different in children. For example, after a traumatic event a child can suffer memory damage. The doctors should be very careful with kids in order not to worsen the situation. It has been mentioned above, that adults can have one or two symptoms during one month. Moreover, these symptoms should be a reason of substantial disorders or functional deterioration. Symptoms are usually considered in terms of time limit, because if they are observed for more than one month other diagnosis can be made. Here it is possible to talk about the strong stress that is very dangerous for humans. Thus, before making any kind of conclusions and choosing the method of treatment the physicians should be sure that the diagnosis is made correctly. The problem with control over feelings is one of the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. A person can have thoughts which can bring serious harm. The thoughts about the suicide refer to them. The trouble is that post traumatic stress disorder can help a person realize his/her plans. Also the disorder can rouse the spite that can be dangerous for the surrounding people. The behavior of the person can be different: active or passive. People can be inclined to depersonalization or isolation. In the most cases one can face steady sense of helplessness, shame and guilt. The serious changes in the attitude to those things that have a great or enormous meaning for humans can be observed. Loss of belief, constant feeling of helplessness and despair are typical for those who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. Such feelings can play a significant role in worsening the conditions and moral state of a victim (Clarke et al., 2007). There are several methods of the posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosing. It is obvious that individuals who belong to the risk group should be regularly examined. Also those who think that they are sick should visit a doctor (Charney, 2004). However, if we are talking about post-traumatic disorder, it is essential not to underestimate self-verification. It is not very easy to diagnose the posttraumatic syndrome even for the doctors. There are a number of reasons and predispositions for the occurrence of such difficulties (Watson, 2005). Different kinds of physical illnesses, depression, bipolar disorder or maniac depression, problems with nutrition and panic attacks may have the same symptoms. The victims of such illness can make a suicide attempt. But this is not the whole list. Thus, the illness can be easily confused with other ones (Carlson, 2007). Most of the doctors who work with the kids and teenagers with posttraumatic stress disorder talk to their parents to reveal the reasons and the character of disorder. There is one more requirement for diagnosing the posttraumatic stress disorder in children, especially in infants. The symptoms can recur in the future or the regress in the child development can be observed. Hyper-active child syndrome, attention deficiency can be the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. The primary method that helps doctors reveal post-traumatic disorder is talk. There are many special methods and techniques, which can make the communication successful. They use the diagnostic interview and diagnostic talks with the purpose of detection of serious malfunctions among the children of a school-age. There are also some specialized structural talks, which are used for revealing the posttraumatic stress disorder. Here it becomes obvious that all the mental illnesses are closely connected with spirituality and the Law of God first of all because they are very difficult to be diagnosed. Post-traumatic stress disorder can be and should be diagnosed by the patient, not by the doctor. The feeling of depression, bad mood, sense of helplessness are related to sinful states as a person should always hope for God and his help. Treatment Psychotherapy is one of the methods to cure the posttraumatic stress disorder. The whole information about the disease can help the victim control the manifestations of posttraumatic stress disorder. Discussing and changing the conceptions about the situation belong to the typical methods, which are widely used in psychotherapy for treatment of this particular illness. It is essential that in the process of psychotherapy the patient should take the posttraumatic stress disorder as just a stress, but not as a weakness, because a person who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder may experience shame. Shame may prevent a patient from reaching the state that is crucial for his/her situation. It is very important for such patients to become self-assured. In order to get rid of the symptoms, a person should understand that he/she is not guilty of what happened. It is crucial for those who suffer from the disorder to learn how to control their emotions, anger and anxiety. They also have to try to improve their communicative skills and possibilities and not only to be familiar with, but to use different methods, which can help them master their emotional and physical symptoms. It is essential not to forget about the cognitive therapy. It can help people with the posttraumatic stress disorder recognize and control their thoughts that refer to trauma and their views. Besides the theoretical methods there are a number of practical ones. With their help the victims will learn how to behave in different life situations. There is a list of actions that can be applicable to this or that situation. Another form of the cognitive therapy is eye sensitivity detection. The effectiveness of such therapy remains controversial notwithstanding that many scientists consider it to be rather effective. The family of a victim plays an essential role in the treatment of the person with post traumatic stress disorder. The support of family members can bring much more results than any other methods. Christianity teaches us to help each other, thus family members and friends should take an active part in the process of treatment (Chris, 2005). Many patients also suffer from sleep disorder. The treatment of sleep disorder successfully decreases the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. People who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder may fall asleep in the evening, wake up in the middle of the night and then be awake for the rest of the night. Such sleep disorder makes them feel bad during the next day and contribute to their depression. The methods of relaxation, positive self-talk can be useful for reducing other damages, which refer to or are connected with the posttraumatic stress disorder. God teaches us that sleep and rest are very important for our health. God was creating the world for 6 days and was having rest during the seventh. The medicines, which used for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, include antidepressants and also medicines, which can reduce physical symptoms the person may feel due to the mental disorder (Rose, 2002). The treatment should continue during the whole year to gain positive results. Antidepressants are the first group of medicines, which are used for treatment of post traumatic stress disorder. This group helps reduce anxiety, depression and panic attacks. Other groups are considered to be less effective. They include medicines that help control and stabilize mood and cure paranoia. Sedative medicines are connected with many problems including the risk of overdose and they are less effective in comparison with other medicines. It is essential to remember that medicines can’t help us get rid of mental illnesses, we should try to help ourselves and become stronger as God teaches us. Conclusion The conclusion can be made that the posttraumatic stress disorder should be treated by using complex approach. It is not easy to get rid of the syndrome and its symptoms, but the support of friends and family is invaluable and can be very helpful. Physical exercises and healthy nutrition also help reduce negative symptoms. It is essential to add that much depends on the patient and his/her inner strength (Foa, 2005). Now many psychologists turn to the Bible in their practice. And the Bible teaches us to overcome the difficulties and not to give up. We should help each other and help ourselves cope with complexities. If a person goes through something difficult in life, it is very important for him/her to feel support. The Bible teaches us to provide this support. Also it is important to take for grated every test the life makes us go through. The thoughts of suicide, feeling of weakness can be easily justified from the point of view of the psychology, but according to the Bible, such thoughts and state are considered to be sinful. Everybody should do his/her best to overcome difficulties and only in this case post traumatic stress disorder can be successfully overcome. References Charney DS. (2004). Psychobiological mechanisms of resilience and vulnerability: implications for successful adaptation to extreme stress. Am J Psychiatry. Feb;161(2):195-216. Chris C. (2005). Evolution and posttraumatic stress: disorders of vigilance and defense. Routledge Carlson, Neil R. (2007). Physiology of Behavior (9 ed.). Pearson Education, Inc Clarke, C. et al. (2007). Childhood and Adulthood Psychological Ill Health as Predictors of Midlife and Anxiety disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry. 64. pp. 668-678 Foa EB, (2005). Cahill SP, Boscarino JA, Hobfoll SE, Lahad M, McNally RJ, Solomon Z. 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