It was never a new thing, it just went under more than eighty aliases over the years. At one time it was known as nostalgia and homesickness, in another time it was referred to as shell shock and irritable heart. Yet no matter the moniker, the disorder is real, and is present in human beings who have been subjected to hurt, danger, and extreme situations.
In 1980, PTSD officially entered the psychology jargon and mainstream vocabulary. As the term was coined, so are many interventions and therapies, and today, patients can have the convenience of getting telepsychiatry for post-traumatic stress disorder. But in order to prevent such disorder, one must understand how it is caused and what are the warning signs.
A person who is at risk for PTSD is defined under a certain criteria. Factors include getting hurt or seeing people getting hurt or killed, surviving a dangerous or traumatic event, feelings of extreme fear and helplessness, a history of mental illness, and having little or no support socially after experiencing the trauma. Resiliency factors, on the other hand, include being able to find social support, maintaining a coping strategy, capacity to respond effectively in times of crisis in spite of fear, and feeling good about his behavior when faced with harm.
Genes also have a role in PTSD the same way they have in mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. A protein called stathmin which is present in genes are responsible in the creation of fear memories. Studies show that laboratory mice who lack stathmin are less panicky than their stathmin filled counterparts.
The amygdala is responsible for emotion, memory, and learning, and it has been found to be the active brain area in the acquisition of fear. Decision making, judgment, and problem solving are all in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This implies that taking studying the differences of these areas and the genes between people may help prevent the syndrome long before it will be triggered or developed, especially if there was a history of childhood trauma, mental illness, and head injury.
For someone to qualify for diagnosis, one should have at least one reexperiencing symptom. This includes very vivid flashbacks and nightmares, extremely scary and terrible thoughts, and reliving the experience from time to time. These symptoms are triggered even by the most non suspicious object, word, or situation, as long they remind the person of the traumatic event.
Becoming detached to the things a person is previously attached to is a sign of avoidance. The patient may also repress the memory and would have trouble remembering the event. Avoiding anything that will remind them of the trauma, indifference, guilt, anxiety, and depression, are also avoidance signs.
Two hyperarousal symptoms are necessary to complete the criteria. The victim would often develop insomnia, become easily agitated, provoked, and startled, and are listless and tense most of the time. These set of symptoms are not evoked, rather, they are consistent.
Psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy are used to treat patients with post traumatic stress disorder. Approved medications include sertraline and paroxetine. Critical incident stress debriefing is applied right after mass tragedies in order to prevent the syndrome as early as possible.
In 1980, PTSD officially entered the psychology jargon and mainstream vocabulary. As the term was coined, so are many interventions and therapies, and today, patients can have the convenience of getting telepsychiatry for post-traumatic stress disorder. But in order to prevent such disorder, one must understand how it is caused and what are the warning signs.
A person who is at risk for PTSD is defined under a certain criteria. Factors include getting hurt or seeing people getting hurt or killed, surviving a dangerous or traumatic event, feelings of extreme fear and helplessness, a history of mental illness, and having little or no support socially after experiencing the trauma. Resiliency factors, on the other hand, include being able to find social support, maintaining a coping strategy, capacity to respond effectively in times of crisis in spite of fear, and feeling good about his behavior when faced with harm.
Genes also have a role in PTSD the same way they have in mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. A protein called stathmin which is present in genes are responsible in the creation of fear memories. Studies show that laboratory mice who lack stathmin are less panicky than their stathmin filled counterparts.
The amygdala is responsible for emotion, memory, and learning, and it has been found to be the active brain area in the acquisition of fear. Decision making, judgment, and problem solving are all in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This implies that taking studying the differences of these areas and the genes between people may help prevent the syndrome long before it will be triggered or developed, especially if there was a history of childhood trauma, mental illness, and head injury.
For someone to qualify for diagnosis, one should have at least one reexperiencing symptom. This includes very vivid flashbacks and nightmares, extremely scary and terrible thoughts, and reliving the experience from time to time. These symptoms are triggered even by the most non suspicious object, word, or situation, as long they remind the person of the traumatic event.
Becoming detached to the things a person is previously attached to is a sign of avoidance. The patient may also repress the memory and would have trouble remembering the event. Avoiding anything that will remind them of the trauma, indifference, guilt, anxiety, and depression, are also avoidance signs.
Two hyperarousal symptoms are necessary to complete the criteria. The victim would often develop insomnia, become easily agitated, provoked, and startled, and are listless and tense most of the time. These set of symptoms are not evoked, rather, they are consistent.
Psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy are used to treat patients with post traumatic stress disorder. Approved medications include sertraline and paroxetine. Critical incident stress debriefing is applied right after mass tragedies in order to prevent the syndrome as early as possible.
About the Author:
Read all about telepsychiatry for post-traumatic stress disorder and how you can receive treatment. The most recommended source that contains this information appears right here on http://www.online-therapeutics.com.
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