Running head: POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Jason Lafrades
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
In today’s society, P.T.S.D. or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has become a more common disorder amongst both males and females as a result of the witnessing or experiencing of life threatening events. Events such as wartime situations, violent attacks, serious accidents, terrorist incidents, or natural disasters can all play a part in the increase of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder cases. This essay will assist readers with the understanding of what P.T.S.D. is, what may cause this disorder to occur, symptoms of P.T.S.D., and how it can be treated.
P.T.S.D. is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to an event, that in which physical harm may have occurred or an ordeal where the victim may have felt dangerously threatened. This disorder can be found in historical medical literature as far back as World War II, Holocaust survivors, and the Civil War by which is it was documented as the “Da Costa’s Syndrome.” P.T.S.D. is not limited to a gender or culture and can occur at any age, but is more likely to be found in women; as studies have shown the cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with women are almost double the amounts as found with men. Events such as wartime situations and natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires can cause P.T.S.D. to both men and women due to the violent nature and fear associated with them. Individuals who have been sexually abused or having been involved with a serious event at some point in their lives can also develop P.T.S.D. within days, weeks, or even years later. Among the 5 million sufferers of P.T.S.D.; only 30% of those individuals have developed the disorder by way of combat, whereas the others have developed the disorder due to rape, physical attacks, genes, or childhood neglect. Those most likely to develop the disorder are those whom have a greater...