Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
As with many disorders there is a formal set of diagnostic criteria for PTSD and symptom length of endurance and severity are weighed in as crucial to the diagnosis. (Vasterling & Brewin, 2005, p. 4)
Neurobiological and Cognitive Effects
These outward symptoms and reports of the emotions that trigger them tend to be the most observable and therefore recorded aspects of the disease, yet it is also clear that much more is at work. A more modern take on PTSD, by the experts willing to look hard enough is that the traumatic event response may have to some degree created a neurobiological record creating in the brain a sort of hard wired response sequence for reacting to the event. Many experts now believe that it is these changes that create the enduring quality of the disiorder and make it much more difficult to treat than a simple short-term psychological reaction to witnessing or being involved in a traumatic event or events. (Vasterling & Brewin, 2005, p. 3)
There is a clear importance to note that observation is only a limited tool for diagnosing the severity of the disorder and understanding its enduring quality. When several sessions of cognitive or other psychological treatment fails to produce lasting results and appropriate responses to...
Researchers have done this with core diagnostic tools, such as functional MRI (fMRI) MRI and CT scan. These scans work to allow experts to compare a normal response to everyday stress or triggers to that of someone suffering PTSD and the results are often obvious. (Vasterling & Brewin, 2005, p. 64)
Conclusion
Recent and long-term research on PTSD has indicated behavioral and emotional reactions to PTSD are enduring in a great part because of the fact that there have been neurobiological changes in the brain of individuals who suffer from it. These changes cement the enduring quality of the disorder, and make it much more difficult to treat with simple cognitive or other non-pharmacological treatments. A better understanding of the neurobiological changes will likely lead to a greater emphasis on drug therapies and cognitive therapies that treat the disorder not as if it is all in ones' head or in their cognitive ability to control but as if it is an enduring biological reality that needs address to resolve.
References
Vasterling, J.J. & Brewin, C.R. (Eds.). (2005). Neuropsychology of PTSD: Biological, Cognitive, and Clinical Perspectives. New York: Guilford Press.
It is difficult to get an accurate record of the actual number of children that have been sexually abused. Many cases never come to light and because of differences in definitions of sexual assault, some cases are missed (658). Researchers have begun to explore the concept of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with children and adults that were victims of sexual assault. Many times people associate particular events with particular stimuli. For
While there are approximately 5 million people suffering from the illness at any one time in America, women are twice as likely to develop PTSD as compared to men. In relation to children and teens, more than 40% has endured at least a single traumatic incident contributing the development of the disorder. However, PTSD has occurred in nearly 15% of girls as compared to the 6% of boys. Causative Factors
Post traumatic stress disorder is given as psychological reaction which take place after one has gone through a stressful event .the characteristics of PTSD are anxiety, depression, recurrent nightmares, flashbacks and avoiding things that are a reminder of the event. There have been increased reports of mental health problems among soldiers who have been deployed in war zones like Afghanistan and Iraq. The paper will look at two articles that
, 2010). This point is also made by Yehuda, Flory, Pratchett, Buxbaum, Ising and Holsboer (2010), who report that early life stress can also increase the risk of developing PTSD and there may even be a genetic component involved that predisposes some people to developing PTSD. Studies of Vietnam combat veterans have shown that the type of exposure variables that were encountered (i.e., severe personal injury, perceived life threat, longer duration,
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Alcoholism/Addiction Narrative Alcoholism and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Overview PTSD and Co morbidity of Alcoholism: The Role of Trauma Childhood Abuse and Gender Differences in PTSD Association Between Alcoholism and Emotion Genetic and Environmental Influences Models of Assessment/Conclusions Abstract TC "Abstract" f C l "1" This study will examine the relationship between post traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism/addiction. The author proposes a quantitative correlation analysis of the relationship between PTSD and alcoholism be conducted to
In civilian life, such individuals will have gained a traditional ethical education whereas in a combat context, such individuals will have been instructed on the use of lethal force. According to Willis, "habit and practice help the willingness and capacity to kill on command. The new recruit or volunteer may, and likely has, the innate reservation against killing anyone. Yet day in and day out, the 'normal' person is