Mental Disorders and Crisis Intervention: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Summarize the signs and symptoms of the mental disorder

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) indications may prove to be highly distressing. An individual suffering from this condition may find these indications disrupting their lives and resulting in challenges when it comes to carrying out everyday activities. The mental health condition known as PTSD is marked by the following three key groups of indicators, namely, intrusive, arousal and avoidance symptoms.

Intrusive symptoms

Specific memories, imageries, noises, feelings and smells linked to the traumatic occurrence may end up intruding into a PTSD-diagnosed individual’s life. Patients might be so intensely captured by recollections of their past trauma that it becomes hard for them to concentrate on their present. Patients commonly report the surfacing of disturbing trauma-linked memories from time to time. Besides distress, physical symptoms may surface as well, including sweating, muscular tension and a growth in heart rate, when faced with things which bring to mind the horrors of that event. On the whole, such "intrusive" signs give rise to immense distress, leading to dread, guilt, rage, sorrow and other similar emotions (Veterans Affairs Canada, 2017).

Avoidance/numbing symptoms

Reminders and recollections of experienced trauma are highly distasteful and normally result in substantial distress. Thus, individuals suffering from PTSD typically steer clear of settings, places, events or individuals which trigger recollections of the incident experienced. Usually, they refrain from talking or thinking...

In doing so, they end up isolating themselves from kith and kin, as well as the overall society. Such actions on the part of a victim may prove immensely trying for kith and kin, who tend to believe the victim is merely acting ‘difficult’ or ‘lazy’ (Veterans Affairs Canada, 2017).
Arousal symptoms

Generally, individuals with trauma experiences face a threat to their mortality. One’s naïve suppositions and views regarding the world’s fairness and safety, regarding the goodness of humanity, and regarding the attitude that one will never be exposed to such a terrifying experience, might end up being destroyed by the event. In its aftermath, a victim usually senses threats wherever he/she goes and makes a mountain out of a molehill. Consequently, they might become constantly and excessively vigilant, nervous, and touchy. Concentration difficulties may arise as well. Another common sign is sleep disturbances and anger; individuals diagnosed with PTSD experiences increased feelings of irritability and display a tendency of having angry outbursts directed at themselves, other people, and the entire world, on the whole (Veterans Affairs Canada, 2017).

Specific crisis events that could most impact persons suffering from the mental illness

PTSD does not constitute the sole psychological reaction to any traumatic incident. Individuals with traumatic experiences might develop several other concurrent issues which have negative impacts on quality of life, interactional and social skills, and capability…