Fallon Nicole Fox
Dr. Bethany Arnold
ENG111
26 Feb 2022
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorde
Try imagining waking up in the middle of the night panicked, your heart is pounding, and
your mind is racing with sweat streaming down your whole body, as you try to recollect yourself
after re-living one of the most traumatic experiences of your life. That is PTSD in a nutshell for
most. For some people, this is a daily event that constantly happens even in public. It is not
something that can be easily controlled but with the best of medicine or therapy there is hope.
According to a source, “PTSD or ‘post-traumatic stress disorder” has become more prominent
since its first appearance in the 80s in the DSM-111 published by the American Psychiatric
Association” (Crocq and Crocq). Most of the time people usually think of a war veteran when
they think of post-traumatic stress disorder however that is not the case. There have been several
studies that have shown that people can have PTSD by everyday things like being involved in a
car crash, seeing other people hurt or killed, doing a job where you repeatedly see or hear
distressing things, such as working in the medical field, or any event in which you fear for your
life.
To diagnose PTSD involves a therapist or PCP performing an exam and a psychological
evaluation. The most common symptoms include recu
ing flashbacks/memories, dissociation,
feelings of anxiety and depression, trouble sleeping, and night te
ors. Physical signs of PTSD
vary from person to person from fast heartbeat, fatigue, muscle tension, nausea, joint pain,
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headaches, and back pain. This is why it can be difficult to diagnose PTSD because it does
mimic the same symptoms as anxiety depression and other diseases. “Long-term exposure to
PTSD can cause long-term deadly diseases including arthritis, chronic pain, diabetes, heart
disease, stroke substance use disorders, and high blood pressure.” (GoodRx) It is not clear why
trauma causes physical ailments, but we do know your body reacts physically to danger. This
physical reaction is sometimes called a ‘fight-flight or freeze’. When you’re in fight-flight or
freeze’ mode, the body releases chemicals and hormones that respond to dangerous situations,
These reactions can cause: trouble thinking clearly, Sweaty palms, increased heart rate,
eathing, increased blood pressure, and muscle tension.
The
ains of people with PTSD process things differently because of the imbalance of
chemicals. They have an easily triggered "fight or flight" response, which can make you uneasy.
Medications help you slow your thinking processes and how a person react.
Several types of drugs can affect your
ain chemistry. Doctors usually start with
medications that affect neurotransmitters, including: Venlafaxine, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine,
Sertraline. Cu
ently, the FDA has approved only paroxetine and sertraline for treating PTSD.
Because people respond differently, a doctor may combine other medicines like monoamine
oxidase inhibitors, antidepressants, Antipsychotics, Benzodiazepines separately or with other
therapies.
PTSD therapy and treatment have three main goals: to improve your symptoms, teach
you skills to cope with PTSD and restoring normalcy. Most PTSD therapies are considered
cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The idea is to change the patterns that are distu
ing your
everyday life. This might happen through talking about your trauma.
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Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is based on the premise of trauma, that you weren’t
able to process. In trying to understand what happened and how it affected you, you might later
come to conclusions that are not healthy. CPT helps to identify inco
ect assumptions and
estructure thoughts in healthier ways. This kind of therapy usually lasts around 12 sessions,
during which you and your therapist work together to process what happened through talking,
writing, or drawing about the trauma.
Prolonged exposure therapy addresses the tendency to have i
ational thinking patterns
after a traumatic event. For example, as a result of trauma, you may have developed a response
that’s out of proportion to normal ways of thinking. To change how you might respond,
prolonged exposure therapy begins with some education about PTSD symptoms. A therapist is
trained to guide a person to learn skills to calm down and cope when facing something
triggering. Once learning self-calming techniques, the patient and therapist will create a list of
fears. This is probably the longest type of treatment because it takes several months of treatment,
with you and a therapist working together to help you face your fears, allowing you to practice
new coping skills.
Long-term effects of many PTSD patients are neurological. For that reason, treatments
that focus on the
ain or nervous system have been found particularly effective at restoring
functionality and reducing symptoms.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy that uses repetitive
eye movements to inte
upt some of the trauma-related memories you have.
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Tapping is called the clinical emotional freedom technique (EFT). It’s similar to
acupuncture, but without needles it is a massage treatment that uses physical pressure on certain
sensitive points of the skin to relieve pain and anxiety. In 4 to 10 sessions, a trained therapist can
teach you how to tap certain rhythms on your head, face, and hands while you actively remember
your memories of a traumatic event. Tapping is often used along with cognitive and exposure
therapies. EFT therapies can also decrease the amount of cortisol in the body.
The way PTSD is treated now compared to years ago has definitely improved with time.
PTSD can intensify feelings of guilt, shame and anger. PTSD can affect anyone regardless of
age, race, creed or occupation. The biggest thing we can learn is that there is hope. There are
plenty of resources, like therapies, medication, and
eathing out there that can help with this
disease.
Works Cited
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Cite
“All about PTSD: Mental and Physical Effects Symptoms.” GoodRx, GoodRx,
https:
www.goodrx.com/conditions/ptsd/physical-effects-of-ptsd.
Crocq, L, and M. A. Crocq. “From Shell Shock and War Neurosis to Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder: A History of Psychotraumatology.” Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, Les
Laboratoires Servier, Mar. 2000,
https:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181586/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022
“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical
Education and Research, 6 July 2018, https:
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorde
diagnosis-treatment/drc XXXXXXXXXXAccessed 8
Feb. 2022
National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD Research Quarterly. The Center,
1990. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022
Contractor, Ateka A., et al. “Positive Internal Experiences in PTSD Interventions: A Critical
Review.” Trauma, Violence & Abuse, vol. 23, no. 1, Jan. 2022, pp. 101–16. EBSCOhost,
doi-org.ezmecc.vccs.edu/10.1177/ XXXXXXXXXX.
Pomerantz, Andrew S. “Treating PTSD in Primary Care: One Small Step Is One Giant Leap.”
Families Systems & Health, vol. 35, no. 4, Educational Publishing Foundation, 2017, pp.
505–07, https:
doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000318.
Hazelden Publishing Educational Services, production company. A Guide for Living with PTSD.
Hazelden, 2009.
Fallon Nicole Fox
Dr. Bethany Arnold
ENG111
26 Feb 2022
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorde
Try imagining waking up in the middle of the night panicked, your heart is pounding, and your mind is racing with sweat streaming down your whole body, as you try to recollect yourself after re-living one of the most traumatic experiences of your life. That is PTSD in a nutshell for most. For some people, this is a daily event that constantly happens even in public. It is not something that can be easily controlled but with the best of medicine or therapy there is hope. According to a source, “PTSD or ‘post-traumatic stress disorder” has become more prominent since its first appearance in the 80s in the DSM-111 published by the American Psychiatric Association” (Crocq and Crocq). Most of the time people usually think of a war veteran when they think of post-traumatic stress disorder however that is not the case. There have been several studies that have shown that people can have PTSD by everyday things like being involved in a car crash, seeing other people hurt or killed, doing a job where you repeatedly see or hear distressing things, such as working in the medical field, or any event in which you fear for your life.
To diagnose PTSD involves a therapist or PCP performing an exam and a psychological evaluation. The most common symptoms include recu
ing flashbacks/memories, dissociation, feelings of anxiety and depression, trouble sleeping, and night te
ors. Physical signs of PTSD vary from person to person from fast heartbeat, fatigue, muscle tension, nausea, joint pain, headaches, and back pain. This is why it can be difficult to diagnose PTSD because it does mimic the same symptoms as anxiety depression and other diseases. “Long-term exposure to PTSD can cause long-term deadly diseases including arthritis, chronic pain, diabetes, heart disease, stroke substance use disorders, and high blood pressure.” (GoodRx) It is not clear why trauma causes physical ailments, but we do know your body reacts physically to danger. This physical reaction is sometimes called a ‘fight-flight or freeze’. When you’re in fight-flight or freeze’ mode, the body releases chemicals and hormones that respond to dangerous situations, These reactions can cause: trouble thinking clearly, Sweaty palms, increased heart rate,
eathing, increased blood pressure, and muscle tension.
The
ains of people with PTSD process things differently because of the imbalance of chemicals. They have an easily triggered "fight or flight" response, which can make you uneasy. Medications help you slow your thinking processes and how a person react.
Several types of drugs can affect your
ain chemistry. Doctors usually start with medications that affect neurotransmitters, including: Venlafaxine, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, Sertraline. Cu
ently, the FDA has approved only paroxetine and sertraline for treating PTSD. Because people respond differently, a doctor may combine other medicines like monoamine oxidase inhibitors, antidepressants