Post-traumatic stress disorders

Post-traumatic stress disorders

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychological disorder that develops to people who have incurred a terrifying event such as shocking, surprise or dangerous situation in mental health. Post-traumatic stress disorder usually triggers the body to resist the changes against the adverse effects of the disease. The disorder is typically common for young aged people, for example, children. However, it has more significant impacts on the people who have a response to a series of dangerous events in life. People who have post-traumatic stress disorder may feel afraid or frightened due to the traumatic event which he or she has the experience. Therefore, the disease usually interrupts the regular operation of the mind and the upset.

Some of the dangerous or traumatic events which may contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder include; child abuse such as raping, warfare, accidents, sexual assaults and other activities which may affect the personality of a particular individual in life. The disorder can be experienced by a group of individuals when their memories are changed immediately after the trauma. The concept of name to the disease is obtained from impacts which develop after the traumatic or the dangerous events; hence the name post-traumatic (Gunaratnam 29-47). When the events affect the operations of the person’s memory or thinking level; usually, they cause stress to the affected individual. Therefore, the name post-traumatic stress disorder is given to the disease. This is the concept of the chaos and the reason why it has the name mentioned.

The causes of this disorder may vary from one individual to another as a result of the variation of traumatic events. There are several dangerous or harmful causes of events that may affect the memory operation of a person leading to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. The causes include;

Fatal accidents

When a person has been involved in a car crash, and he or she can survive, the event can negatively affect the mental health immediately after the accident since the game is shocking. This is common to children during adolescents and other people aged above meanwhile the game may not have the effect of stress to children below ten years since their memory is not able to discover well what has happened in reality.

Terrorist attacks

When a particular individual experience a terrorist attack which may comprise injuries, destruction of property and loss of lives, he or she can develop post-traumatic stress disorder. If children during adolescent’s experience terrorism cases which they had not yet used to before it is likely to frustrate them and scary them and therefore, if not diagnosed, it causes post-traumatic stress disorder.

Natural disasters

A natural disaster such as floods and earthquake can contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder. This is because the accident disorients the position of people in life as a result of the alienation of their land, destruction of property and hence, to recover from the unfortunate situation their mental health is profoundly affected negatively when compensating the losses and thinking about the trauma event (Meiser‐Stedman, Richard, et al. .623-633). This a common cause of this disorder to individuals, especially to children during adolescents who have not been used to and therefore they get frightened.

Harassments and abuse matters

When people are harassed, abused or bullied, they get frightened and shocked, and the event usually affects their mental health. The harassment can comprise life-threatening condition; hence this creates an event which an individual can fear for his or her life, and this causes post-traumatic stress disorder. When one is abused from a given fact, for example, sexually assaulted, raped, kidnapped or held hostage especially to children, the events create trauma which frightens them in life, and this affects their mind after the event creating stress and disorders.

Extreme violence or warfare

When one is violently attacked during a war, including military combat, the upset of the mind changes on experiencing people being hurt or killed and losing someone close to such trauma event. Violence attacks can contribute to this disorder to the attacked people and the individuals who have witnessed the event, which is dangerous and frightening. These are some of the causes of this disorder as a result of threats and scary created after the events.

Again, this disorder can comprise of several signs and symptoms after a person has subsisted or perceived a harshly stressful or fatal event. They include;

Nightmares

Nightmares include continuous thoughts of scary things or the trauma event. This is a common symptom of this disorder which translates that the person undergoing the dreams is the anxiety of certain dangerous circumstances.

Flashbacks

This is a feeling or thought of like the trauma event is currently happening, through continuous remembrance of the event, and this can lead to the identification of a person having traumatic stress disorder. These feelings usually occur continuously hence indicating the presence of invasive and upsetting memories of a tragedy.

Uncontrollable feelings and thoughts

A person who has experienced a traumatic event has uncontrollable feelings were he or she tries to avoid the feelings and thoughts that remind the person of the tragedy. Therefore, this shows a symptom of a post-traumatic stress disorder.

Loss of curiosity in life and daily events

When life and activities of living do not motivate a particular individual, it is a sign of infection from the post-traumatic stress disorder. Indeed the infected person tries to avoid certain activities and places that remind him or her event. These results to loss of curiosity in life and daily happenings and the individual can be identified.

Extreme physical reactions

A person who has mental health has overwhelming, physical responses to cues of shock such as nausea, sweating or a pounding heart, and this can illustrate post-traumatic disorder. This is a sign of the disease. Other symptoms are fright attacks to eating syndromes and intellectual suspensions to dropped verbal remembrance capacity.

The categories of post-traumatic stress disorder are;

Normal stress reaction

This type involves the experience of bad memories and bodily tension when a healthy adult has been exposed to a specific traumatic event.

Acute stress disorder

This type involves mental confusion and being incapable of managing even essential self-care.

Uncomplicated post-traumatic stress disorder

This type comprises emotional numbing and tenacious re-experiencing of the trauma.

Comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder

The type is associated with panic disorders such as depression and other nervousness disorders.

Complicated post-traumatic stress disorder

This type is common to persons who have experienced long term traumatic events, especially during childhood, such as mental difficulties comprising dissociation.

After signs and symptoms of this disorder have been identified, the affected individual can be helped to recover from the situation through various preventive measures which comprise: psychological first aid, and this involves actions aimed at improving the infected person to reduce post-trauma distress through the provision of information on comfort and stabilization. Secondly, psychological debriefing, this is advise offered to the victims, which involve the importance of sharing emotional responses to behave in normal reaction to trauma event (Goldbeck 3-28). Thirdly cognitive-behavioural therapy, it requires learning and conditions provided to treat traumatic stress. Another preventive measure is counselling, which includes giving guidance to the victims on how to behave normally regardless of pressure from the traumatic events.

This prevention mechanism support short- and long-term adaptive functioning of the trauma affected victim. They are also action plans for short term and long-term objectives. The prognosis of post-traumatic stress disorder usually varies based on the level of support and prior traumatic experiences. Parenting skills should teach parental coping strategies to encourage healthy among infected individuals. The treatment skills to post-traumatic stress disorder can include relaxation techniques such as meditation and avoidance to alcohol and drugs.

Conclusively, the analysis of post-traumatic stress disorder to children in adolescents is as discussed above.

Works Cited

Gunaratnam, Shaminka, and Eva Alisic. “Epidemiology of trauma and trauma-related disorders in children and adolescents.” Evidence-based treatments for trauma-related disorders in children and adolescents. Springer, Cham, 2017. 29-47.

Meiser‐Stedman, Richard, et al. “Cognitive therapy as an early treatment for post‐traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents: A randomized controlled trial addressing preliminary efficacy and mechanisms of action.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 58.5 (2017): 623-633.

Goldbeck, Lutz, and Tine K. Jensen. “The diagnostic spectrum of trauma-related disorders in children and adolescents.” Evidence-based treatments for trauma-related disorders in children and adolescents. Springer, Cham, 2017. 3-28.