Violence or Witness

Violence or Witness

Violence or witness to a serious act of violence is one of the keys to the cause of a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, that seems to haunt people more than a nightmare. PTSD' victims that could range from any age or sex are often negatively influenced by a drastic or horrific event that has occurred in their lives. Most patients who are diagnosed with PTSD are usually marked by intense fear, flashbacks, or hyperactivity. Although there are no known drug substances that can actually cure PTSD; there are other alternatives to help prevent it and to assist those who already have PTSD.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was once known as shell shock or battle fatigue because of its more common manifestation in war veterans. However in the past 20 years, PTSD has been diagnosed in rape victims and victims of violent crime; survivors of natural disasters; and the families of lost loved ones (Longe & Granger, Gale Encyc. 2006 p.2989). Even though PTSD can affect any random person involved in an event, it is most likely to affect the female gender, middle aged adults, ethnic minority, children, those of the lower socioeconomic status and with pre-existing psychiatric conditions. In an experiment done by Chen et al. (2009), evidence on structural and function abnormalities of the insular cortext, IC,a region located in the centre of the cerebral hemisphere, proved that patients with PTSD may be associated with declarative memory deficits when a reduced number of grey-matter volume is present. The IC contains contextual memory which is shown during hyperarousal of objects, or sound that triggers any resembles to that certain event. Also, patients with PTSD may suffer from long-term memory deficits.
In another study done by Andreoli et al; there has been a direct correlation between Peritraumatic Dissociative symptoms and the development of PTSD. Peritraumatic Dissociation is a set of experiences which include alterations in the perception of time, place, and...

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