Contemporary Insight of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Heather Scott, Marcus Titcomb, Nathan Ericksen, and Tierannie

Broberg

What is PTSD? What are the common symptoms?

As stated by the National Institute of Mental Health, it is defined as “an anxiety disorder that some people develop after seeing or living through an event that caused or threatened serious harm or death. Symptoms include flashbacks or bad dreams, emotional numbness, intense guilt or worry, angry outbursts, feeling “on edge,” or avoiding thoughts and situations that remind them of the trauma. In PTSD, these symptoms last at least one month.”

Abstract

Our intent and principal goal in performing this presentation is to emphasize the serious nature of PTSD in relation to the service men and women involved with the nation’s military; informing the public as to how we can unite ourselves in supporting those diagnosed with the disorder. In order to accomplish this purpose, we will incorporate informational solutions to the following questions:

I. How do the common symptoms of PTSD affect an individual?

II. How do these symptoms prevent a person from living their personal life regularly?

III. What treatments are available to those that experience symptoms of PTSD?

How do the common symptoms of PTSD affect an individual?

Fear/Anxiety•Scientists have now been able to pinpoint particular genes in central brain that create stathmin, a protein needed to create fear memories.

•GRP (Gastrin-Releasing Peptide) is a signaling chemical in the brain released during emotional events to help maintain stability. Experiments on mice show that those who are able to create more GRP respond far better to wide, open spaces than do others.

•The pre-frontal cortex seems particularly affected in problem solving skills, decision making, and other senses of judgment. For example, one may not be able to trust friends and family—the fear of being contacted.

Depression•Researchers have now discovered more of the 5-HTTLPR gene, which basically controls levels of seratonin that plays a huge role as a “feel good” chemical.

•“Depression is one of the most commonly occurring disorders in PTSD. In fact, it has been found that among people who have or have had a diagnosis of PTSD, approximately 48% also had current or past depression. People who have had PTSD at some point in their life are almost 7 times as likely as people without PTSD to also have depression.” (Tull)

•Dr. Tull also notes that there are several correlations between the two, both environmental and possibly genetic that contribute to the detached, lonely emotions expressed in both disorders.

From Rand Corp. research

About 18.5 percent of US soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq currently have PTSD or depression. 19.5 percent report traumatic brain injuries.

An estimated 31 percent of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have a mental health condition or reported experiencing a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)

Co-Occurring Affects of PTSD

Alcohol/Abuse Dependence

Major Depressive Episodes

Conduct Disorders

Social

Phobias

Drug Abuse

Simple Phobias

60.00%

50.00%

40.00%

40.00%

30.00%

20.00%

10.00%

0.00%

Effects of PTSD on the Family Common Reactions

• Sympathy• Negative Feelings• Avoidance • Depression• Guilt and Shame• Fear and Worry• Anger• Health Problems• Sleep Problems• Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Anonymous FamilyArmy MP/ HusbandKilled in Action • Only would drive in the middle of the road• Would not drive under bridges• Almost jumped on wife and child when he heard a drum because he thought they were getting attacked• Insomnia • Alcoholism • Detached from family

WifeBEFORE• Felt like she didn’t have her husband back but a stranger was living with her.• She spent her time trying to “get him out of war”AFTER• Alcoholic• Scared of Muslims• Can’t go into malls, movie theaters, really anywhere• Scared of her and child’s safety

Treatment for PTSD

Today, there are good treatments available for PTSD. When you have PTSD, dealing with the past can be hard. Instead of telling others how you feel, you may keep your feelings bottled up; talking with a therapist can help you get better.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one type of counseling.

It appears to be the most effective type of counseling for PTSD. The VA is providing two forms of cognitive behavioral therapy to Veterans with PTSD: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy. There is also a similar kind of therapy called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) that is used for PTSD. Medications have also been shown to be effective. A type of drug known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which is also used for depression, is effective for PTSD.

Types of PTSD Therapy

Cognitive Therapy

• In cognitive therapy, your therapist helps you understand and change how you think about your trauma and its aftermath. Your goal is to understand how certain thoughts about your trauma cause you stress and make your symptoms worse.• You will learn to identify thoughts about the world and yourself that are making you feel afraid or upset. With the help of your therapist, you will learn to replace these thoughts with more accurate and less distressing thoughts. You will also learn ways to cope with feelings such as anger, guilt, and fear.• After a traumatic event, you might blame yourself for things you couldn't have changed. For example, a soldier may feel guilty about decisions he or she had to make during war. Cognitive therapy, a type of CBT, helps you understand that the traumatic event you lived through was not your fault.

Exposure Therapy • In exposure therapy your goal is to have less fear about your memories. It is based on the idea that people learn to fear thoughts, feelings, and situations that remind them of a past traumatic event.• By talking about your trauma repeatedly with a therapist, you'll learn to get control of your thoughts and feelings about the trauma. You'll learn that you do not have to be afraid of your memories. This may be hard at first. It might seem strange to think about stressful things on purpose. But you'll feel less overwhelmed over time.• With the help of your therapist, you can change how you react to the stressful memories. Talking in a place where you feel secure makes this easier.• You may focus on memories that are less upsetting before talking about worse ones. This is called "desensitization," and it allows you to deal with bad memories a little bit at a time. Your therapist also may ask you to remember a lot of bad memories at once. This is called "flooding," and it helps you learn not to feel overwhelmed.• You also may practice different ways to relax when you're having a stressful memory. Breathing exercises are sometimes used for this.

Conclusion

So the basis of our project has been to emotionally involve the public through means of information in uniting ourselves in assisting our service men and women out there with the issue of PTSD. This objective has been achieved by concluding that

I. The common symptoms of PTSD affect an individual particularly in the brain’s pre-frontal cortex that causes emotions fear, anxiety and depression.

II. Not only is the personal life affected by these symptoms, but the family and other close relationships are sometimes damaged if not properly treated.

III. Several treatment methods are available that include medicine and forms of professional therapy; mostly those affected need love and understanding.

PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within, Ilona Meagher's Blog Ilona Meagher is an independent Illinois-based online writer, new media developer and author of Moving a Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops. Her blog is always full of the latest information on PTSD. She also travels around the country to speak and has set up a PTSD timeline or reported OEF/OIF PTSD incidents. A wonderful resource and a wonderful woman. PTSD Support A website maintained by a combat wounded Vietnam Era Veteran with a 100% service connected disability.He also has a wealth of information and help for all veterans. Vet Wives Living With PTSD a support site for wives and significant others living with PTSD. I belong. It is a good group full of wisdom and experience and welcomes newcomers. International Society for Traumatic Studies: Professional Organization of therapists and researchers who work with survivors of all types of trauma. Publish a wonderful pamphlet on recovered memories. Also the Journal of Traumatic Stress. Membership list can be searched by state and city if you are looking for help. The Sidran Foundation: A national non-profit organization devoted to education, advocacy and research related to the early recognition and treatment of trauma-related stress in children and the understanding and treatment of adults suffering from trauma-generated disorders. They also publish great books! David Baldwin's Trauma Information Pages: Focused on emotional trauma and PTSD following individual and mass traumas. New info about once a month. Written for professionals, it has a lot of interesting information.