Post-traumatic disorder

Post-traumatic disorder

I believe that Jane suffers from post-traumatic disorder since I have to deal with patients who have PTSD, and they behave in the same manner as Jane. Research suggests that women are at a higher risk of developing PTSD after the sudden death of a loved one as compared to men. Further, married persons are at a higher risk of developing PTSD from sudden deaths. Therefore as a married woman, Jane has a greater risk of suffering from PTSD, especially after the death of her husband. Further, she had not been treated for the depression and anxiety she has experienced because of her family issues, such as the death of both her parents, mainly her mum, who suffered from breast cancer before passing on. Also, having lost her father as a teenager, she has a fear of her children not growing up without their father hence the anxiety after the death of her husband. Also, Jane exhibited some of the symptoms of PTSD such as negative thoughts about her future and that of her kids, a flashback of the terrible events that have happened in her life that remind her of the death of her husband, not paying attention to her needs and those of her kids, the need to run away from all that reminds her of her husband and the guilt that she feels since her son won’t have his dad around. Finally, I determined what she is suffering from is PTSD since the sudden death of her husband has completely changed her whole life.

Biggest concern

My biggest concern is that the stressful condition that Jane is in can cause harm to the unborn baby and even lead to a miscarriage. Also, the treatment of PTSD is not right for the unborn baby and can lead to preterm birth. For instance, research has proven that antidepressants and benzodiazepine negatively impact mothers with unborn babies since they lead to preterm births. Preterm births are the leading cause of all infant deaths. Therefore, as a medical professional, I am concerned about the risk linked with psychiatric illness during pregnancy and the medications that are being utilized for treatment. If jane had begun the treatment before, the use of psychotropic medication, enhancing the risk of preterm birth, would be stopped if Jane could discontinue this medication. However, the condition of Jane is unstable, and she needs instant medical help so that she can take good care of both her son and her unborn baby. Therefore, the decision to administer medicine will be based on the perceived risks and benefits.

Pharmacological and non- pharmacological interventions

Comprehensive treatment of PTSD involves using both medicine and methods that don’t require medication. For the drugs, antidepressants will be used to help Jane deal with depression and anxiety. Further, antidepressants will be given if she is having any sleep problems and help her to concentrate on the needs of her son. The Food and Drug Administration or FDA recommends medications such as Zoloft, Paxil, and SSRI as useful antidepressants. There are also anti-anxiety medications, and the work of these drugs is to relieve severe anxiety any related issues.

Moreover, these anti-anxiety medications can be abused, and that is why it is recommended that they are used only for a short time. Finally, researchers have confirmed that Prazosin is a vital medication for PTSD. The medication is primarily used for those PTSD patients, but Jane isn’t experiencing nightmares currently. However, her situation needs to be evaluated to make sure that she qualifies for this kind of medicine. Moreover, there exist methods that don’t require medicine, and they are generally referred to as psychotherapy, one of them that will be used on jane is the cognitive therapy that will aid her in recognizing ways of thinking that are keeping her stuck. For instance, the pain of her father dying is what increases the pain of her husband dying, and this has made it difficult for her to accept the death of her husband. Another therapy is the Exposure therapy which will help her face her current situation and any memories that are difficult so that she’s able to cope with them effectively it is particularly crucial for the negative thoughts about what her children will go through since they don’t have a father. The last one is the Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing abbreviated as EMDR, and it combines exposure therapy with various series of guided eye movements that aid a person process the traumatic memories or events

Pregnancy and pharmacological interventions

Because of the pregnancy, there is a high risk that she will deliver prematurely if the medicines for PTSD are not administered properly. Therefore, the first step is to try the non-medicinal approaches, but these take longer to be effective. Therefore, there is a need to make sure that the medicines that will be administered are those that create a sense of safety and coping with any active symptoms of PTSD, such as the inability of her to fully take care of her son. Jane will first be counseled and made aware of the options of treating her PTSD and the risks and benefits of these options. For instance, jane will be given the possibility of her pregnancy symptoms worsening if she is given certain antidepressants. Thus, the medication that will be given will be the one that the potential benefits outweigh the risks.

Interventions for James

Janes’s PTSD symptoms directly impact James and his behavior. We can tell that James understands his mother is suffering, and he is restless because he is experiencing the pain of losing a father too. Thus, the grief, guilt, fears, and anger that James also experiences Jane experiences. James also worries that his mother is now not capable of taking care of him. The first step to helping James is listening to him and encouraging him to share his thoughts and feelings about the whole situation. The next step is explaining to him using age-appropriate examples of what happened and what his mother is going through. Next, he should be reassured that it is not his fault, and it not their work to fix the current problems. Also, despite the conversation with James being open and honest, he will not be given too many details so as not to frighten him. Finally, with constant therapy, James will be able to overcome all traumatic situations.

Resources as a military wife

Primarily, the military offers counseling services to an army wife. The counseling involves administering mental health screening tools and assessments, the benefits of mental health treatment, available hotline in case of an emergency, signs, and symptoms of PTSD, and the various counseling options. It also involves arranging for peer support and offering free medication to military wives. The military also caters to those military service wives who feel that they will be homeless after the death of their husbands by offering them housing services as they get back on their feet. The benefits or allowances paid after the death of their husbands also enables these wives to provide for themselves and their children essential services. Finally, the military through the department of defense and local organizations such as churches offers various activities to the military spouses to help them to overcome depression and anxiety. The activities include PTSD retreats, encouraging them to go to groups of military widows, giving the military wives therapy dogs and encouraging these military wives to participate in games such as golfing and biking. Finally, the government understands the trauma that the military wives go through after the death of their husbands, and they work in collaboration with community organizations to offer them the support they need.

Community resources

There are various agencies dedicated to helping military wives who have symptoms of PTSD, and they are associated with the military. These agencies are easily found online, and one selects an organization based on her needs. One such organization in our community is the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which focuses on various conditions of PTSD. The agency has local support groups and offers classes to the military spouses. Also, there are multiple private veterans focused on military spouses’ support groups, and they focus on those spouses from PTSD. These organizations offer even animals such as dogs to these military spouses to help them overcome their depression and anxiety. Finally, the local colleges have focus groups that educate the public on what PTSD is and how to seek help. These focus groups also offer free counseling services to military spouses.