Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorder in the “American Sniper” Film

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Table of Contents

Synopsis
Biopsychosocial Assessment
DSM 5 Diagnosis
Treatment
Summary
References

Synopsis

Demographic Information

The 2014 film American Sniper is based on Chris Kyle’s memoir about his life before, during, and after ten years as a Navy Seal Sniper. Kyle is a male, 38 years of age, a combat veteran who served mainly in Iraq (1999-2009). Kyle is credited with over 160 kills and was dubbed “The Legend” by his fellow soldiers as a sniper.

Summary of the Presenting Symptoms

After his experience as a Navy Seal Sniper, Chris Kyle developed indications of a mental health issue. For instance, Kyle’s encounter with a sniper haunts him with frequent and disturbing memories (Cooper et al., 2014). Additionally, Kyle develops violent outbursts and nightmares, drinks heavily, and gets into unnecessary fights. Finally, apparent insomnia makes it difficult for him to concentrate.

Biopsychosocial Assessment

Past experiences (including childhood) can impact mental disease diagnosis. For Kyle, this comprises the traumatic war in Iraq. Kyle kills many people, including children and women, and witnesses his best friend die. Despite higher incidence being reported for a specific gender, mental illness affects everyone regardless of age or sexual orientation. Kyle is heterosexual; hence he does not encounter the issues that most LQBTQ+ people face. Kyle also previously had a stable relationship (wife and children), but this later deteriorated due to possible illness.

Kyle attended Midlothian High School and graduated in 1992. Kyle later went to Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas (Schmidle, 2013). Kyle is hyperactive, literate, and intelligent even during the war. Kyle is quick to scan the surroundings for possible threats. Generally, hyperactivity presents in individuals with possible psychological conditions. Kyle was religious but not a devout Christian. The novel is full of profanities and tales of his family’s difficulties. Nevertheless, faith is embedded throughout the novel.

Kyle’s psychological health was good until a horse turned on its back while still in the chute at a competition in Rendon, Texas, pinning him to the ground. A shattered wrist and multiple broken ribs were among the injuries he sustained (Schmidle, 2013). The wrist had to be held together with screws, which meant his profession was over, impacting his mental health. Kyle’s health was in good condition until after the accident and the Iraq tours. He had to live with screws in his wrist, which first denied him entry into the Navy. Kyle was a strong man even in childhood, as depicted by the sports he participated in after leaving college. Overall, after experiencing an injury, Kyle did not lose hope but continued to serve his country by enlisting in the Navy.

DSM 5 Diagnosis

The principal diagnosis is Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorder. These conditions include encountering a stressful or traumatic experience as a diagnostic criterion (American Psychiatric Association (APA), 2013). The possible or provisional diagnosis is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The rule-out diagnoses under this category include reactive attachment disorder, disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED), and acute stress disorder (ASD).

The level of mental trauma experienced after being exposed to a distressful incident is highly variable. In some circumstances, symptoms might be readily understood in the context of anxiety or terror (APA, 2013). These criteria help rule out specific diagnoses and base the findings on one particular condition. According to APA (2013), “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” is one of the indications of PTSD (p. 271). Kyle witnessed the war, the death of his friend, and repeated exposure to the killings (over 160 shootings that led to the death of the opponents). Generally, Kyle’s symptoms were more severe and lasted longer; therefore, a diagnosis of PTSD is appropriate.

Reactive attachment disorder was ruled out because it is only common in children. Disinhibited social engagement disorder was ruled out because Kyle was hypersensitive and was careful about his surroundings, unlike people with DSED. They quickly venture into unfamiliar settings and talk with strangers (APA, 2013). Finally, acute stress disorder met all the conditions except that Kyle could remember most traumatic events and was ready to discuss the problem with others, unlike most people diagnosed with ASD.

Treatment

Strategies for Empowerment

The empowerment approach to PTSD treatment prioritizes patients’ stability, safety, and essential needs. Empowerment is based on research in cognitive theory, the disorder and chronic trauma evidence-based treatment, and survivor requirements. Generally, empowerment programs include coping strategies, support groups, outdoor activities, and positive affirmations.

Evidenced-Based Treatment and Recommendation

Evidence-based treatment recommendations are essential because most are patient-centered. There are a variety of psychological therapies for PTSD, including both trauma-focused and non-trauma-focused approaches (Watkins et al., 2018). According to Watkins (2018), trauma-focused treatments target memories of the traumatic incident and the thoughts and feelings associated with it. APA emphasizes the need to categorize treatments into those addressing prolonged exposure (PE). Generally, this is often achieved through exposure therapy based on previous outcomes. The recommendation is that the fear construct must be engaged, and then new information inconsistent with the fear structure’s incorrect information must be absorbed into it (Watkins et al., 2018). Kyle can benefit from this intervention, mainly to address the distressing memories.

Summary

The film American Sniper does a wonderful job depicting how PTSD affects a person’s life, particularly after serving in the military. In essence, this film has helped me learn more about PTSD and how frequent it is, particularly among active-duty/front-line veterans. Additionally, it details how PTSD affects the victim and everyone in their immediate environment, including their family. Overall, this assessment was a crucial learning experience on how to diagnose a mental health condition, especially by first detailing the biopsychosocial elements of an individual and finally coming up with possible illnesses along with their specifiers, provisional and ruled-out conditions.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (5^th ed.).

Cooper, B., Eastwood, C., Lorenz, R., Lazar, A., & Morgan, P. (2014). American sniper [Video]. Netflix. Web.

Schmidle, N. (2013). In the crosshairs. The New Yorker.

Watkins, L. E., Sprang, K. R., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2018). Treating PTSD: A review of evidence-based psychotherapy interventions. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 12.

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