Ethical and Cultural Perspectives of Inquiry for PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been a real challenge that governments and communities have struggled to solve for its people. The problem has even become prevalent in modern days since people suffering from PTSD are alienated; hence, identifying them from society is really difficult. The majority of individuals who go to hospitals seeking this treatment at any behavioral setting are believed to have histories of trauma in their lives, but they have not yet realized the impact this trauma can have on their lives. The reason may be because they have little connection regarding their trauma histories and the current problem they have, or they totally ignore the topic. Similarly, the health providers may as well avoid the topic as well by ignoring to ask questions that relate to traumatic histories of the client as they feel unprepared to handle cases related to traumatic issues. Also, they might find it challenging to address such instances effectively by looking at the alignment of their treatment program, the orientation of their clinical programs, or directives given by the agency.
Such claims that limit the health provider in providing the necessary treatment to a PTDS are unethical. To prove the unethicality of these claims, this paper presents two-level research questions prompts. The level 1 research question aims to determine laws that pertain to or govern the issue of PTSD. Ethical obstacles that affect the manner in which the medical community handles the PTSD issue. Application of ethical theories on the issue, and lastly, a discussion of how power, money, and control are intertwined in the treatment of the issue. Level 2 research questions will include determining cultural norms and values that influence the issue, how PTSD issue is handled differently in different cultural situations and context. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
ETHICAL Perspective of Inquiry
What laws pertain to or govern the issue?
In the rule of law, the legal requirements demand compensation for any injury caused to an individual that can lead to PTSD. However, this civil law has continued to be loosened in recent years from not just physical impacts of being directly injured but also to include any emotional effects of direct injury or the emotional effects resulting from being a witness of injury to others. Also, it includes the emotional effects of being aware of injury caused to others (Doerr, 2019). The court will request for psychiatric diagnosis to be carried out for the victim to discover emotional distress. However, there have been a number of criminal cases with the offenders using PTSD as the defense. Therefore, the law that governs PTSD is yet to be clarified, although such cases have been solved in different courts.
What Ethical obstacles that hinder the medical community in addressing PTSD?
Treating PTSD is always a challenge for most medical practitioners. This is because, unlike physical injuries or wounds, emotional injuries take years to heal. For doctors, the ethical consideration in PTSD means that there is no right or wrong response due to competing priorities. One obstacle that the medical community face is to make a decision on treating on the basis of “disease-focused” or “patient-focused’’ (Ellis, 2019). The ethical consideration here is based on the principle of non-maleficence or beneficence. That is, “ do good and do no more harm.” The other obstacle is determining whether the PTSD is already a disorder or just an infective response to serious stress. Therefore, the medical community has a real obstacle when treating PTSD, especially when determining if the distinction that exists has any regard during treatment.
How ethical theories apply to PTSD?
Being ethical is guided by various theories. Some ethical theories include Deontology, Utilitarianism, Rights, and virtues. These theories apply to the treatment of PTSD. For instance, Deontology theory implies that individuals will adhere to their responsibilities anytime ethics are being use (Xing et al., 2016). That is, doing individual duties is what considered to be ethically correct. Therefore, this theory can apply to PTSD in that the medical group will ignore the connection between historical trauma and current conditions and offer a PTSD person necessary treatment as doing that is what considered ethical.
How power, money, and absolute control matters related to PTSD treatment
Power means having the power to control others in the society to position and consequent accumulation of enough money. PTSD treatment can sometimes require an expensive diagnosis to treat. For the poor, this will be a nightmare. However, the rich and the bosses in the community will receive the best care during PTSD treatment period. Also, power and control matter a lot in the treatment of PTSD (Xing et al., 2016). For instance, the same treatment a normal citizen will receive is not the same as that offered to the people in senior positions in the state. Therefore, PTSD will have a great relationship with power, money, and control.
Level 2 Research questions
CULTURAL Perspective of Inquiry
Cultural values and norms that influence PTSD treatment
Cultural norms and values have a huge influence on how people react to traumatic situations. For instance, a strong cultural identity or strong family ties will influence the way a child reacts or perceived trauma. PTSD is worsened when society lacks cultural values that create a recovery environment from traumatic conditions. One of the cultural values that can influence PTSD treatment is humane orientation value. This value emphasizes viewing others in a humane manner (Ellis, 2019). Therefore, this value will promote empathy, where society will take care of those with PTSD and help them recover.
How is PTSD treatment addressed differently in differing cultural contexts and situations?
There some strong evidence of the issue of PTSD being addressed the same in most cultures. However, the disorder may, at times, vary across cultures where different methods are used to address it in different cultures. In some cultures, the victims of traumatic conditions might be subjected to stigmatization, while in other cultures, the victim receives much care to prevent the trauma from becoming even worse (Hobfoll et al., 2018). Some cultures have a perception of `minding own business.’ In such cultures, the patient will have no one to talk to about his/her condition. The possibility of the patient recovering is very minimal. Unlike cultures where there is open communication, the patient will have people to talk to. Hence, the possibility of that patient recovering is very high.
Which cultures are most affected by the issue of PTSD? Why?
The aggressiveness of traumatic conditions tends to vary with cultures. Research shows that cultures from developed countries tend to be more affected by PTSD than those from developing countries. The reasoning behind this is that PTSD does not depend on the level of diagnosis but the unity and togetherness in the society (Hobfoll et al., 2018). People in rich countries have very little socialization as compared to those from developing countries. Psychiatrist’s advice that one should speak out to people around him/her instead of keeping quiet. Therefore, a person from a culture with a weak relationship will tend to be affected more. Hence, western culture is more affected by PTSD.
Which cultural traditions affect the treatment of PTSD?
Certain cultural traditions can continuously haunt a victim of the similar trauma, which can affect his/her treatment of PTSD. For instance, Female Genital Mutilation is a tradition that can affect the treatment of PTSD. If a girl has been exposed to the tradition and consequently developed PTSD from the activity, she will always be haunted every time he hears about the tradition. Therefore, Even if she is under treatment, she will not forget the trauma she went through as long as the tradition is continued.
Conclusion
PTSD has always been a concern for the medical community on how to apply ethical considerations when treating the condition. The discussion has incorporated two research levels Ethical and Cultural concerns. Four research questions have been involved in each research level. In level 1 research, the question is about the Ethical perspective of inquiry in treating PTSD. Level 2 research also has four research questions, but they are based on the Cultural perspective of inquiry in treating PTSD. The results indicate that the world is made of different cultures with different ethical views, which have been a great obstacle when treating PTSD. It is evident that the incorporation of ethical views and the right cultural values and norms, treating PDST, can be enhanced; since the condition is manageable.
References
Doerr, R. B. (2019). An Inquiry into Discursive News Coverage, Popularization and Presuppositions Concerning Military PTSD Treatment Options. Lingue Culture Mediazioni-Languages Cultures Mediation (LCM Journal), 6(1), 131-151.
Ellis, B. R. (2019). The Trauma in Organizational Change: Correlation Study of Change Fatigue and PTSD in the Workplace (Doctoral dissertation, Regent University).
Hobfoll, S. E., Gaffey, A. E., & Wagner, L. M. (2018). PTSD and the influence of context: The self as a social mirror. Journal of personality.
Xing, Y., Liu, Y., Tarba, S., & Wood, G. (2016). A cultural inquiry into ambidexterity in supervisor-subordinate relationship. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1-29.