Final Post

final post

For my final post I chose Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short. PTSD is caused by a traumatic event in person’s life. This includes coming home from a war, a rape, a serious vehicle accident or even a natural disaster. It caused the affected person to feel like they have no control over a situation causing them to act like they or someone they know is in danger. Although it is normal for people to have stress from time to time, these feelings can become a hindrance on their everyday lives if they are prolonged.

 

People can experience the symptoms of PTSD in several different ways. One way is reliving the trauma. A person may suffer from night terrors, memories or even flashbacks of the even that happened. Another symptom is Avoidance of situations that is a reminder of that situation. For instance, if a person was in a car accident, they may not be able to go back to that site. Another way a person can know they may be suffering from PTSD is not participating in things that used to be enjoyable. The person may not want to do something they used to because it’s a reminder of the stressor. A person may also feel jittery or over alert feeling like something bad is going to happen at any second.

To treat PTSD, professionals use the help of medicine as well as counseling. A person with PTSD Might be prescribed medication as well. A popular drug prescribed is an SSRI, which is usually prescribed for the depression. Another Prescription that may be used is Prazosin which is used to decrease the nightmares someone may have due to PTSD. Also, cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat PTSD. Therapists used prolonged exposure to have the patient overcome the fear of that event by repetitively talking about it. They also use cognitive processing therapy, where they try to help you understand how the event has changed your views, opinions and ideas. Also for

 

I chose this topic because I have known a lot of people who suffer from this. I too suffered from this to an extent. For example, I was in a car accident when I was still on my driver’s permit. I refused to go back to the spot where it happened for about a year. Finally, I decided to drive down that road to get over my fears. It was hard at first but I did it. A friend of mine also had a car accident. Not only has she never driven on the same road again, but she no longer has a license and refuses to ever drive again.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/VeteransMTC?v=SqjwV-lsVEs This is a video of people talking  about their own experiences with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.