Understanding About Ptsd - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2264 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/07/30 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: PTSD Essay Did you like this example? Each and every day, people wake up, live their lives, go to bed, then do it all over again. However, it is vital to stop and think about why youre able to (mostly) do what you want, when you want, where you want. This is all due to freedom. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Understanding About Ptsd" essay for you Create order Freedom doesnt come free, but rather it is fought for. Blood, sweat, tears and psychological disturbances can all stem to the surface when being deployed into combat and following afterwards, as well. The main psychological illness that can result from being deployed into combat is known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, otherwise labeled, PTSD. A critical piece of information to understand is that PTSD is not only developed after deployment but can occur during deployment, as well (U.S Department of Veteran Affairs: What is PTSD, 2017). To have a better understanding about PTSD resulting during and/or after combat, this paper will discover what PTSD is, what creates the label applied to combat veterans experiencing PTSD pertaining to different psychological perspectives, methods associated with these different psychological perspectives that can help treat PTSD, and how to improve the research regarding this topic as a whole. It is not the time that is the primary factor looked upon first, but rather it is if a veteran gets the treatment that they are in need of. This papers investigation will help unfold the mystery of whether veterans who experience post-traumatic stress disorder during or after combat receive the most beneficial method of treatments from different psychological perspectives. To apprehend the course of actions that occur to veterans suffering from PTSD recover, knowing what PTSD is and what contributes as a diagnostic criterion to be diagnosed as having this mental illness is valuable. PTSD is considered to be anxiety disorder that develops after witnessing or experiencing a life-threatening event, where symptoms may start occurring soon after the event takes place or not until months or years after, that do not go away on their own (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs: What is PTSD, 2017). To be diagnosed with a mental illness, the book of importance for mental health clinicians is called, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, where self-reported checklists of symptoms associated with each disorder are presented and followed through with to help construct an overall diagnostic. The latest DSM, which is the fifth edition, uses a checklist that is geared towards a specific event to evaluate the degree of PTSD being experienced. Before DSM-5 was published, DSM-IV provided three different checklists that could be used for rating PTSD symptoms; civilian, military, and specific. However, with the renovation into the next DSM, DSM-5, there has been no creation of military or civilian checklists that correspond with the checklists that were made prior (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs: PTSD and DSM-5, 2017). This is an essential piece of information to account for due to the fact that in case studies conducted researching this topic, some studies have used the military checklists from DSM-IV, while others have used the checklist from the DSM-5, the specific checklist. Since there have been no corresponding checklist published with DSM-5 for the military and civilian checklists, the scoring of these checklists can be compared universally with the DSM-IV. Considering a veteran has suspected PTSD, there are signs and symptoms that become present in the diagnosis of such. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, which is the National Center for PTSD, reports that there are eight different criterion zones that become addressed while making a diagnosis; exposure, intrusion, avoidance, negative thoughts, alterations in arousal and activity, length of symptoms, cause of distress to oneself, and symptoms cannot be caused due to other factors, respectively (2017). For each criterion, certain things can shape the formation of the criteria being met. For Criteria A, the exposure component, this can be checked as present through direct exposure of the traumatic event, witnessing the event or even learning about a loved-one being exposed to the event. For Criteria B, the intrusion component, can be presented in the most commonly known way of a flashback, where unwanted memories surface, nightmares are occurring, emotional distress and physical reactivity occurs after exposure from a reminder of the traumatic event. For Criteria C, the avoidance component, it is what it states; avoidance of traumatic provocations such as thoughts, feelings, and even places. For Criteria D, the negative thought component, this includes overly negative thoughts about themselves and the world around them, negative affect is present, feeling isolated, survivors guilt is expressed, and inability to recall important aspects of the trauma occurs. For Criteria E, alterations in arousal and activity component, such as being irritable, have difficulty sleepin g and concentrating, an increase of startle reaction, and hypervigilance can transpire. For Criteria F, length of the symptoms lasting longer than at least one month; Criteria G, cause of functional deficiency or distress to oneself; and Criteria H, symptoms cannot occur due to other illnesses, medications, or substance abuse; are all required to start the process to see if a diagnosis of PTSD is present (Weathers et al, 2013). The scoring rubric for the checklist concerning PTSD according to the DSM-5 criteria, notes that any question, numbers one through twenty, scoring a two (2) or higher, is what would be considered noting as a symptom in the form of PTSD being presented. The severity of the PTSD symptoms can be obtained by summing the twenty questions scores; whereas, an overall score of a 33 out of 80 would be considered as needing some sort of psychometric intervention to treat PTSD (Weathers et al., 2013). A DSM-5 PTSD checklist that a clinician may use as a diagnostic tool is attached at the end of the paper (pg. __). Epidemiology; the study of the causes and distribution of any given disease, or in this case a disorder, in a (certain) population (U.S Department of Veteran Affairs: Epidemiology, 2016). The proportion of people within a population that have any given disorder and any given time can be referred to as that disorders prevalence rate. There are many different factors that are attributed to creating a disorders prevalence rate, such as, demographic features (like age, gender, location), the duration of a disorder (if individuals are living longer with the disorder, the rate can then increase), as well as disorder occurrence (if another disorder arises, the rate can then increase). However, it is vital to also keep in mind that prevalence rates are active, meaning that they can change over time, people, and places. Assessing the prevalence of individuals involved in combat suffering from PTSD is important. In a study conducted with a total of one hundred and sixty-one veterans who had fi lled out a diagnostic checklist to screen for PTSD being present from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, results showed the prevalence rate to be 24%, with most apparent psychiatric disturbances among Vietnam veterans (Dudley et al., 1990). Another study conducted by the Department of Veteran Affairs, did an analysis pertaining to the utilization of the veteran affairs health care option available to veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) (which relates to Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) (which relates to Iraq), and Operation New Dawn (OND) (which relates to Iraq as well). The data collected from this study was from the first quarter fiscal year of October 1st, 2001 through the fourth quarter fiscal year of September 30th, 2014. Results from this study showed that from a possible 572,569 veterans suffering from a mental disorder, 311,688 accounted for PTSD within the first quarter, from a possible 593,583 veterans suffering from a mental disorder, 324,204 accounted for PTSD within the second quarter, from a possible 615,922 veterans suffering from a mental disorder, 337,285 accounted for PTSD within the third quarter, and lastly from a possible 640,537 veterans suffering from a mental disorder, 351,422 accounted for PTSD within the fourth quarter (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2015). When looking back at the data that the Veteran Affairs has compiled, during any given quarter, one through four, results indicate that at least 54% of combat veterans are suffering from PTSD. As the quarters progressed, the percentage increased a tenth of a percent. This shows that the prevalence rate of combat veterans suffering from PTSD has increased over the years of combat and is something to focus upon for future research. Unfortunately, sometimes there is an occurrence of two (or more) disorders present within an individual, labeling this as comorbidity. Pertaining to PTSD and combat veterans, the comorbidity that I would like to focus on is suicidal ideations and alcohol use disorder. In a previous research study that explored PTSD as a risk factor for suicidal ideations among veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, data that was gathered found that the veterans who screened positive for PTSD were more than four times more likely to encounter suicidal ideations in comparison to veterans who did not have PTSD (Jakupcak et al., 2009). This research study also found that it was 5.7 times greater for the veterans who screened positive for PTSD to be a victim of comorbidity of two or more disorders (Jakupcak et al., 2009). Another research study analyzed the comorbidity of suicidal ideations among combat veterans. Within this survey, out of 272 OEF and OIF veterans that completed a survey concerning psychopathology, social support, and resilience, 34 participants that represented 12.5% of the participant pool reported that they had contemplated suicide within the two weeks prior to filling out the survey, indicating a positive association that suicide was contemplated more so by the veterans who screen positive for PTSD (Pietrzak, 2010). Generally speaking, one thing leads to another and so on and so forth. This is the case for combat veterans suffering from PTSD as well; with having PTSD, instead of focusing on suicidal ideations co-occurring, the comorbidity risk of alcohol use disorders, or otherwise labeled as AU D, exists too. Seal et al (2011) found that, 9.9% received AUD diagnoses (pg. 95), which means of the 456,502 veterans in their study, roughly 10% have an alcohol use disorder. The commonality of the veterans returning from Iraqi and Afghanistan see the co-occurrence of the two disorders being experienced personally. It is unfortunate that comorbidity occurs, however findings as such indicate an identifying risk that suicidal ideations are among one of the many other disorders that can coincide with veterans suffering from PTSD. It is essential to keep this in mind and to not be blinded or limit yourself to thinking more than one disorder cannot be present; one may have more prominence over the over, however the co-occurrence can still exist. When seeking out treatment for PTSD, there are multiple routes that one can take to lessen the severity of the symptoms being experienced, such as therapy and medications. A few different types of treatment that mental health clinicians recommend are categorized into two subsets: strongly recommended and conditionally recommended. The strongly recommended therapies are different variations of cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a technique that draws relationships between ones emotions, behaviors, and thoughts, and how they impact one another, resulting in a change of one of the three areas to another (PTSD Treatments, 2018). These different variations of CBT include: cognitive behavioral therapy with cognitive processing therapy, cognitive therapy, and prolonged exposure therapy. These serve as specialized treatment forms regarding certain properties of CBT. For the conditionally recommended therapies, these are interventions that can be used, however, they dont provide much evidence giving credit that thy are as useful and helpful as the strongly recommended forms of therapy listed previously. The different therapies labeled conditionally recommended include: brief electric psychotherapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), narrative exposure therapy, and four different medications. Regarding these different medications, the first three serve as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and the last one serves as an antidepressant medication, respectively; Fluoxetine (commonly knowns as Prozac), Paroxetine (commonly known as Paxil), Sertraline (commonly known as Zoloft), and Venlafaxine (commonly known as Effexor) (PTSD Treatments, 2018). Regarding the strongly recommended types of cognitive behavioral therapy, it is important to generate a basic understanding of what each therapy consists of. From the American Psychological Association, all four types are explained. The first type, CBT itself, is the focus on emotions, behaviors and thoughts, with the current problems and symptoms that are persisting are targeted in changing the focus and patterns of these different factors that lead to the difficulty in functioning to begin with; the second type, cognitive processing therapy, is a particular type of CBT that aids in assistance to patients with learning how to modify their beliefs related to the event, along with challenging these beliefs as to why they are incorrect; the third therapy type, cognitive-only therapy, which includes the method of changing the negative memories associated to the traumatic event, with the end goal achieved by interrupting these disturbing thought or behavior arrangements that interfere wi th the individuals life; lastly, with the fourth type, prolonged exposure therapy, that is again a particular type of CBT, where gradually approaching memories, situations, and thoughts that are triggered due to the traumatic event can be approached, with the result of facing what was avoided once and understanding that it is no longer holding any negative meaning that constitutes as being dangerous, which can be achieved through a subtype of therapy called virtual reality exposure therapy (PTSD Treatments, 2018). These different forms of CBT are used throughout the studies integrated into this research paper, as well the medicinal approaches, as well. These different forms of treatments will be discussed further within this paper, categorized into their appropriate psychological perspective areas, along with the etiology of these perspective areas as well.

Why I Am My Friend - 1240 Words

Beep, beep, beep. In junior high, I woke up to this sound every morning at 5:30. It was always the same routine: wake up, shower, get dressed, blow dry and straighten my dysfunctional hair, put on makeup, eat breakfast, leave. I spent hours making sure I looked pretty so I could fit in. I felt as if I had to look good to be accepted by the people I called my friends. I was a part of the â€Å"popular group,† and I thought that was who I was. However, no matter how much makeup I put on or how many Hollister t-shirts I bought, I was never accepted by my â€Å"friends† because I was always pretending to be someone I wasn’t. I have long grown out of this stage; however, the deception that I used when I was in junior high is not uncommon, and almost everywhere we look, we can see other people engaging in deception as well. Although pretending to be someone we are not to fit in is just a single example of deception, it’s not hard to see that dishonesty affects the way we live and the way our culture has formed. The concept of deception isn’t new to society; lying has been around for ages. People tend to hope that others are telling the truth; nevertheless, most American people have accepted that nearly everyone lies and therefore, that everyone is lied to. Deception is a part of American society and culture, so dishonesty is not destroying America; what’s destroying America is the way in which American people use dishonesty. If we turn to recent affairs in American society, we can see howShow MoreRelatedThe Connection Theories And Why I Am My Friend s Dad1000 Words   |  4 Pagestweeting all around. I was sitting outside on the balcony scrolling through my twitter timeline when I landed on a twitter thread. 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Alcoholism final Free Essays

Generally, alcoholism is considered more as a habitual disorder rather than a disease. It is self initiated and mostly can be prevented or controlled. It is as a result of over dependency on the substance (Alcohol) which is by itself a drug. We will write a custom essay sample on Alcoholism final or any similar topic only for you Order Now Abuse of the substance consequently leads to Alcoholism. There are some symptoms surrounding alcoholism, which includes; a strong thirst and urge to per take the substance, withdrawal, shakiness of hands and in some cases the whole body, anxiety after stopping drinking. Once one has started the habit, it’s extremely difficult to stop, they in turn gain tolerance of the drink where one gradually increases the amount in order to feel the effect and get ‘high’. (Shebek J, Rindone JP. 2000) Addiction dependency In such cases, the body is accustomed to always having alcohol present which translates to you becoming a slave of the substance. Consequently, one experiences a strong urge for the drink and at this point alcohol has taken over your life where you become alcohol dependent. With time, it soon becomes the only thing you can think of and cannot do without. Surprisingly, people with alcohol dependency do not necessarily suffer liver diseases. This mostly is dependent on genes which vary from one individual to another. In some individuals, it is possible to drink heavily and die from liver diseases without ever developing alcohol dependency whereas in some they may develop alcohol dependency but do not have the liver diseases. (Goodwin, Donald W. 1988). Effects on body In the body, alcohol is quickly metabolized and absorbed by other nutrients. It is rapidly absorbed in the upper portion of the small intestine, where the alcohol laden blood then travels to the liver via the veins and capillaries of the digestive tract, which affects nearly every liver cell. Also, it affects every organ of the body though its most impact is upon the liver. Liver cells are forced to first metabolize the alcohol, letting the fatty acids accumulate. Alcohol metabolism permanently changes liver cell structure, which results to impairment of the liver’s ability to metabolize fats. This is basically the reason behind fatty livers in heavy drinkers. A liver clogged with fat causes liver cells to become less efficient which consequently impairs a person nutritional health. Alcohol displaces calories from needed nutrients and also interferes with the body’s metabolism of nutrients leading to damage of the liver, digestive system and nearly every bodily organ. Prohibition of alcohol can greatly reduce its consumption and subsequently bring down the crime related to alcohol which in turn can save many lives and society from the ordeals emanated from this. Though this is not an easy case, it calls for both the law enforcers and society to play part in it. (Cadoret, Remi J. , et. al. , December, 1986) Religious connection with alcohol where Jesus changed water into wine. Jesus changing water into wine was a manifest of his powers to demonstrate that he was capable and had the transforming power to change people from tasteless ordinary people to very important people who bring joy and happiness to others. He used Mary’s simple request and servants’ obedience to reveal his glory. His intention was to give Christians a life like that of a wedding feast which is only celebrated once in a life time. Alcohol consumption was not considered a daily event but a one time thing which was meant to bring happy and memorable feelings but nowadays, it’s not the case. It has been abused by many and some have made it a daily thing meant to solve personal issues like stress other than celebrating occasional and important events. (Agape miracle fellowship 2003). Jesus changed water into wine where wine was and still is considered a low alcohol drink which if it’s taken occasionally in the right quantity and manner cannot lead to alcoholism addiction and disorders. Stand of health sources pertaining alcoholism. Heath sources have a stand on this vice where they advice people to keep off from alcohol as alcoholism is perceived as a self induced disease which can be avoided or cured if at all the patient is willing to forfeit alcohol completely for his/her sake of healing. People are advised to keep off from alcohol because its repercussions are immense and damaging to ones health which is something that can easily be avoided. (Gallant . D, 1987) I can strongly advice victims to try their level best to quit alcohol and for those who haven’t started and are maybe considering it, to reverse their decision before it is too late to turn back. They can avoid the ‘I wish I knew’ slogan by avoiding the ‘one sip’ thing is what leads to a bottle which later grows into bottles and before long one is already an alcoholic, a very difficult situation to turn back from. Governments should strongly play their roles of enforcing laws which will regulate the sale of alcohol, for instance they can raise taxes on alcoholic products to make it difficult for purchasers to ‘enjoy’ it daily. Also, it can consider burning importation of this cheap alcohol drinks which are pocket friendly and encourage daily consumption. References. Cadoret, Remi J. , et. al. , (December, 1986) â€Å"An Adoption Study of Genetic and Environmental Factors in Drug Abuse. † Archives of General Psychiatry. 43: 1131-1136. Gallant . D, (1987), Alcoholism: A Guide to Diagnosis, Intervention, and Treatment . Colombia. Colombia University press. Goodwin, Donald W. (1988). Is Alcoholism Hereditary? New York: Ballantine Books, 2nd Ed. Shebek J, Rindone JP. (2000) â€Å"A Pilot Study Exploring the Effect of Kudzu Root on the Drinking Habits of Patients with Chronic Alcoholism. † J Altern Complement Med. 6, 1:45-8. Agapemiraclefellowship. (2003). miracle at marriage. www. agapeindia. com /miracle_03. . How to cite Alcoholism final, Papers