PTSD Mental Disorder: Triggers, Clinical Manifestations, and Treatment

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Table of Contents

What is PTSD?
Situation Events that Trigger PTSD
Clinical Manifestations of PTSD
Treatment and Therapies Involved
Conclusion
Reference List

What is PTSD?

PTSD is normally characterized as a mental disorder that is a direct result of anxiety-related syndromes that came about as a direct result of a traumatic event (Chemtob, 2011). One example of this can be seen in the case of natural disasters such as flooding which occur as a direct result of excessive rainfall which creates a PTSD response in certain individuals wherein they continue to respond negatively to various external stimuli such as storms, videos of flooding or other such examples.

Situation Events that Trigger PTSD

Constant Re-experiencing

This aspect takes the form of constant flashbacks to the traumatic event resulting in severe stress and anxiety or the equivalent thereof in the form of a negative psychological response. This symptom is often brought out as a direct result of distinct triggers (such as in the case of the previously mentioned example where images of floods, rain, etc. acted as the necessary trigger to bring about the memory) (Muldoon & Lowe, 2012).

Exposure to a Traumatic Event

A traumatic event in this particular case comes in the form of even that elicited a great deal of intense fear, resulted in serious injury, or had the very real possibility of death for the individual involved (Muldoon & Lowe, 2012). It is thought that such events are necessary for the development of PTSD since they leave a deep psychological “scar” so to speak which interacts with the fear and anxiety mechanisms within the brain that create the various symptoms associated with PTSD. It must be noted though that various studies have yet to determine what constitutes a sufficiently traumatic event to cause PTSD. What is considered as “traumatic” apparently varies per individual with some cases (i.e. a severe car accident, war, near-death experience, etc.) causing no apparent symptoms of PTSD in one person but manifesting in another who endured a similar event. For example, just as PTSD develops differently in various individuals (as seen in the case of returning U.S. soldiers from Iraq) several individuals who experience similar experiences were noted as being completely fine after a few hours in a recovery center (Muldoon & Lowe, 2012).

Clinical Manifestations of PTSD

Emotional Numbing

Emotional numbing is a symptom that manifests itself as a distinct detachment from people, social situations, and activities that were previously thought of to be enjoyable. It also happens to manifest itself as a form of detachment or state of withdrawal where these individuals are unresponsive to external stimuli (Muldoon & Lowe, 2012).

Increased arousal (Heightened sense of awareness)

This particular aspect of PTSD manifests itself as being in a constant state of readiness resulting in difficulty falling asleep, being in a constant state of agitation, and even manifests itself as a form of hypervigilance. It is thought that such a state comes about as a direct result of a traumatic event with the need for constant vigilance and readiness being imprinted on the mind (Muldoon & Lowe, 2012). Various experts are actually at odds over this particular aspect of PTSD as to whether or not it has its background in a repressed evolutionary response mechanism (i.e. the behavior of constant vigilance displayed by herbivores when watching out for predators) or if the condition is merely a form of anxiety syndrome (Wells & Colbear, 2012).

Treatment and Therapies Involved

Pharmacotherapy

Pharmacotherapy is a method of treatment that utilizes the administration of drugs as a way of dealing with the symptoms and resulting adverse mental conditions that come about from PTSD (Trickey, Siddaway, Meiser-Stedman, Serpell & Field, 2012). It is often the case that mild sedatives, anti-depressants, and various other forms of psychoactive drugs are utilized to help deal with abrupt “episodes” of PTSD as they occur.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a form of treatment that involves 1 on 1 (or at times group sessions) between the patient and a trained psychotherapist. These particular forms of treatment often involve an exploration of what triggers instances of re-experiencing and attempts to help resolve such issues through progressive methods of disassociation till the event no longer elicits the same amount of stress (Trickey et al., 2012). This particular method of treatment also involves the implementation of a variety of coping mechanisms to lessen the degree of anxiety generated by PTSD.

Patient education

Patient education imparts relevant information to patients to help them better alter their behaviors and improve their overall mental health (Trickey et al., 2012). This process often involves helping patients understand their current condition, how it is negatively affecting their mental and physical well-being, and the various methods they can employ to get better.

Conclusion

It must be noted though that it is not an issue of which method produces the best treatment outcome since all of the methods of treatment have varying levels of results. Rather, it has been discovered by clinical psychologists that implementing all therapies in conjunction with one another, often creates a more effective outcome as compared to using the aforementioned treatment methods individually.

Reference List

Chemtob, C. (2011). Screening for Trauma Exposure, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms among Mothers Receiving Child Welfare Preventive Services. Child Welfare, 90(6), 109.

Muldoon, O. T., & Lowe, R. D. (2012). Social Identity, Groups, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Political Psychology, 33(2), 259-273.

Trickey, D., Siddaway, A. P., Meiser-Stedman, R., Serpell, L., & Field, A. P. (2012). A meta-analysis of risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. Clinical Psychology Review, 32(2), 122-138.

Wells, A., & Colbear, J. S. (2012). Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Metacognitive Therapy: A Preliminary Controlled Trial. Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 68(4), 373-381

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