Keith Kovach
Psychology
Daymar Institute
Research Paper
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Introduction
Soldiers who return home from heavy combats are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder set forth by a traumatic event. This research paper examines the different causes of PTSD, and the ways to prevent and cure PTSD in soldiers. PTSD is a major issue amongst soldiers, who may or may not even be aware of their risk of possessing this disorder. With the help of several psychological approaches, such as, behavioral, social-cultural, and psychoanalytical approaches, we are able to point out the possible ways of preventing and curing PTSD.
Preventing and Curing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans
It is hard to imagine what soldiers have to face each day in battle fields. They are practically reinforced to be ‘on guard’ at all times. There is not a single day soldiers can rest in peace at night. During the day it gets worse. Many soldiers don’t make it back home alive, and the ones that do, often witness frightening events; such as, the bloody murder of their fellows, and the loud explosives from the grenades, that may mess up their mental health for good. Soldiers that survive rough battles may easily become anxious, and can develop mental problems in the long-run. One of the most common psychological disorders diagnosed in soldiers is the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The Term Paper on Natural Disasters, Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Disasters characteristically occur quickly leaving behind comprehensive physiological and psychological impairment (Fullerton, Robert, & Wang, 2004). Natural disasters specifically are defined by the world health organization (1980) as an ecological phenomenon that occurs suddenly and is of sufficient magnitude to require external assistance, additionally the DSM-IV defines a traumatic event ...
People with PTSD often have recurring flashbacks and nightmares that, after a period of time, may have such an impact on their lives making it impossible for them to function normally in society. Many soldiers returning from the war zone may first feel anxious and disconnected from the real world, but soon the negative feelings fade away and they are able to live healthy and happy lives again. However, in some cases, the trauma is so powerful that it may continue haunting them, resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder. All soldiers returning from combats should be tested for PTSD, in order to prevent, or cure the disorder.
People with post-traumatic stress disorders often have recurring flashbacks and nightmares. Flashbacks are scenes of specific events that re-appear in our minds and may seem so realistic as if we were re-living that moment. On the other hand, nightmares are terrifying dreams that play a powerful role on emotion. When people frequently encounter distressing flashbacks or nightmares, it may inhibit them from functioning normally in society. Soldiers returning from wars often encounter traumatic flashbacks and nightmares that interfere with their everyday life.
Soldiers who have gone through traumatic events during warfare may frequently confront nightmares relating to the specific event. In a research studying soldiers with PTSD, they claim that not only do nightmares occur in a high percentage of people with PTSD, but they also experience nightmares quite often; ranging to several times a week (Crenshaw).
The intensities of the nightmares may differ depending on the level of trauma one has experienced. World War II, Vietnam, and Korean War veterans have reported witnessing frequent nightmares and had not sought help earlier (Friedman, Schnurr, & McDonagh-Coyle, 1994, p. 177).
Another symptom people with PTSD usually display is recurring flashbacks. “Generally, it has been argued that PTSD is the product of indelible traumatic memory, the ability of which to capture events with cinematic and photographic accuracy results in the presence of flashbacks. (A., 2002)” Based on Bessel Van Der Kolk’s, a well-known clinician and researcher’s, study of how animals adapt to traumatic situations, he explains that although many people are exposed to tragic events, they do not develop psychological disorders. Some people are capable of dealing with traumatic events, while others become involved and incapable of letting go of the experience, where they often witness flashbacks and nightmares (Kolk, 1996, p. 3).
The Essay on A Comparison Of Two Poems About Soldiers Leaving Britain To Fight In The First World War
The two poems I am comparing are "Joining The Colours" by Katherine Tynan and "The Send Off" by Wilfred Owen. " Joining The Colours" is about a regiment of soldiers leaving Dublin in August 1914 to go to France to fight. This was at the beginning of the First World War and all the soldiers were happy because it was an opportunity for them to show their girlfriends and their families that they were ...
This would indicate a biological, behavioral, and social-cultural view of how humans adapt to certain situations. It may be an influence of the heritability, or the environment they are surrounded by, or the cultural norms that influence the way they deal with situations. No one is identical to one another; therefore, we do not necessarily adapt or handle situations the same way as others.
As previously mentioned, some people are capable of coping with their anxieties better than others. A major factor that causes post-traumatic stress disorder is the intensity of the trauma experienced. Hypothetically, a war veteran from Japan during the World War II encountered major trauma as he saw his friend got bombed to death. He later developed PTSD. Many people would conclude the cause of post-traumatic stress disorder was the major trauma that affected his emotional and mental well-being. However, other factors should be mentioned as well. He might have handled the situation in a non-helpful way or his friends and family might not have been there for him, where he had to deal with his problems alone, or he might have triggered an unpleasant memory of the past, which made him develop PTSD. These biological, psychoanalytical, humanistic, and/or cultural perspectives may well fit his condition. Therefore, the way people handle their trauma does not depend on only one way of viewing it, but can depend on multiple other ways of viewing it as well.
The Term Paper on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 3
Abstract Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects many different people in different ways. Along with post-traumatic stress disorder often comes a co-morbid aspect that patients see as coping mechanisms for the post-traumatic stress disorder that they know little about. Post-traumatic stress and alcohol/substance abuse addiction often find themselves closely related due to the vast amount of ...
Now that the cause of post-traumatic stress disorder has been stated, soldiers that have or are at risk of having PTSD should immediately seek for help. Without immediate treatment, the consequences may be difficult to erase; it breaks families apart and cause its victims uneasiness. Many soldiers are unaware of their anxieties after the wars, and those who are aware simply do not know how to deal with it. The easiest ways to diagnose a person with PTSD is to see the following signs: nightmares or flashbacks (stated in previous paragraphs), grinding of teeth, headaches, twitches, chest pain, breathing difficulties, paranoia, withdrawal, guilt, fear, denial, depression, etc. (PTSD: Is you soldier suffering?, 2010) These symptoms may indicate a possible development of PTSD. Soldiers who display a number of the symptoms should immediately get professional attention, where they could start a possible treatment.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a preventable and curable Anxiety Disorder. Many soldiers who have PTSD give up on the hope that they may still recover and live healthy and happy lives again. In the past, people have been concentrating on the causes of PTSD, but now researchers have been more concerned on the ways to cure PTSD in people. “We need to move from an obsession with PTSD to focus on combat stress, injury prevention, and management,” said Charles Figley, Ph.D., a professor at Florida State University’s College of Social Work and director of the university’s Traumatology Institute and Psychosocial Stress Research Program (Levin, 2007).
A Marine veteran of the Vietnam War, named Figley, said that stress is a factor that contributes to post combat trauma. He explains how stress is actually higher before battles, and drops during the combats, then rises again after soldiers have encountered a life changing experience (Levin, 2007).
In order to effectively prevent PTSD in soldiers, it is a must to deal with the root of the problem: stress.
The Term Paper on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Of Gulf War Veterans
... (1998) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a military personnel: a shelter sample. Journal of Traumatic Stress 8(15) Niles DP, ed. (1993) Relationships between combat experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms ... life-threatening exposure; Continuous abusive violence during noncombat, during which soldiers lives are not threatened and the victims of the violence ...
Before soldiers are being sent to wars, generals or the higher authoritative figures should devise a program that allows soldiers to deal with pre-stress, as well as post-stress situations. That is what military camps and boot camps are for, isn’t it? However, it is clearly not enough. Since everyone has a different way of dealing with stressful situations, newer and more effective programs should be devised—that are suitable for all veterans.
An effective way of treating nightmares in soldiers with PTSD is to use a treatment method known as Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT).
In this therapy, clients will change the endings of their nightmares of what used to be upsetting into a pleasant ending—while awake. Through reinforcements and visual rehearsal, IRT-treated subjects showed major signs of improvement, and were able to control several symptoms of PTSD (Crenshaw).
There is proven to be no side-effects to the treatment, and for that reason, it is encouraged for soldiers and other people with PTSD to test its effectiveness. As to medical treatments, little information has been said to prove the effectiveness of drugs on curing PTSD.
Overall, people with post-traumatic stress disorder encounter nightmares and flashbacks that may disable them from functioning normally in society. Many soldiers returning from heavy combats may first feel anxious, but are able to recover and live healthy lives; while others who aren’t able to cope with their anxieties may develop or be at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. All soldiers returning from heavy combats should be tested for PTSD in order to prevent or cure PTSD. PTSD is a serious disorder amongst numerous veterans, and once they have PTSD, it may traumatize their life for good. Therefore, it is important to prevent and cure PTSD in
References
A., Y. (2002).
Our Traumatic Neurosis and its Brain.
Crenshaw, T. (n.d.).
Nightmares and PTSD . Retrieved from
Friedman, M. J., Schnurr, P. P., & McDonagh-Coyle, A. (1994).
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
in the Military Veteran. Psychiatric Clinics of North America.
Kolk, B. V. (1996).
Traumatic Stress.
The Essay on Teen Stress Eating Disorder
Teen Stress Sweat glistens on the boy s forehead. His eyes locked in complete concentration. His fingers felt stiff his body tenses, his heart races. The pressure mounts as he soon decides to throw down the remote controller to the video game 007 in defeat. Parents would not consider this to be an abnormal trait, but every day children give up on their own video games of life. Teenagers are driven ...
Levin, A. (2007, May 4).
Combat Stress. Retrieved Feb. 14, 2012, from Psychiatric news:
PTSD: Is you soldier suffering? (2010, july 28).
Retrieved febraury 14, 2012, from Veteran
Journal: http://www.veteranjournal.com/ptsd-soldier-spouse/
