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Trinisha S Austin

ENC 1102

Professor McGriff

12-03-2018

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that has affected many

Americans. PTSD was known as “shell shock” during the years of World War I and “combat

fatigue” after World War II (American Psychiatric Association). PTSD doesn’t discriminate it

can affect any ethnicity, nationality, or culture and any age (American Psychiatric Association).

PTSD usually occurs in people who have experienced or witnessed traumatic events. There have

been many studies and lots of research on PTSD. My purpose is to inform you what I found out

about civilians and veterans affected by PTSD, PTSD being diagnosed and misdiagnosed, a real-

life experience of PTSD, and families coping with PTSD.

PTSD and how it has affected Americans. Fast Facts by NIH Medline Plus states that

PTSD affects about 7.7 million American Adults, it can occur at any age, and women are more

likely to develop PTSD than men. PTSD is often accompanied by stress, substance abuse, or

other anxiety disorders. Many have PTSD; however, it doesn’t affect everyone the same. Many

individuals have been affected directly, indirectly, or third party. In most cases PTSD has

stemmed from traumatic incidents such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held

captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters

such as floods or earthquakes (NIH Medline Plus).

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The civilian suffering with PTSD usually is affected by tragic incidents that have

occurred in life. Such incidents can leave the civilian helpless, broken, depressed or sad.

Veterans suffering with PTSD have been shot at, seen buddies killed, or witnessed death up close

(NIH Medline Plus). According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD

afflicts 1) Almost 31 percent of Vietnam Veterans, 2) As many as 10 percent of Gulf War

(Desert Storm) Veterans, 3) 11percent of Veterans of war in Afghanistan, and 4) 20 percent of

Iraqi War Veterans (NIH Medline Plus).

For many individuals it is extremely hard to pick up and carry on after tragic incidents. If

we go back down memory lane things have happened in our lives or to our family members that

has been hard to get over. Just imagine that roadside bomb that took the life of your partner or

best friend or the girls not out that ended tragically when your best friend cars was hit head on by

a pick-up truck and she dies instantly. These are just examples of tragedies that can happen

instantly and have an enormous impact on our lives. From reading and researching material on

PTSD I have learned a great deal of interesting facts and statistics.

A lot of PTSD suffers experience trauma. Some may inquire, what is trauma? Trauma is

the response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to

cope, cause feelings of helplessness, diminishes their sense of self and their ability to feel the full

range of emotions and experiences (Integrated Listening Systems). Common responses and

symptoms of trauma are emotional signs such as sadness, anger, denial, fear, and shame

(Integrated Listening Systems). These emotional signs often lead to night mares, insomnia,

difficulty with relationships and emotional outburst (Integrated Listening Systems). There are
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also common physical symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, altered sleep patterns, changes in

appetite, headaches, and gastrointestinal problems such as PTSD, depression, anxiety,

dissociative disorders and substance abuse problems (Integrated Listening Systems). Not every

traumatized person develops PTSD (Integrated Listening Systems). Some develop what is called

acute stress disorder which is symptoms like PTSD but goes away after a few weeks (Integrated

Listening Systems). Just simple things from our everyday life can trigger trauma, such as

financial troubles, stress at work, relationships, or personal conflicts just to name a few.

However, we must also remember it’s not a domino effect. If I for example lose a family

member and that cause me to suffer with trauma, it doesn’t mean that you or the next person will

have the causations as me. Trauma survivors who have PTSD may have trouble with close

family relationships and friendships (Anxiety and Depression Association of America). These

symptoms can cause problems with trust, closeness, communication, and problem solving, which

may affect the way the survivor acts with others (Anxiety and Depression Association of

America).

Have you been diagnosed or misdiagnosed with PTSD? This is a question that I feel

remains unanswered for many. According to physician Sally Satel she believes many are being

misdiagnosed with PTSD (Behavioral Disorders). According to the National Vietnam Veterans

31 percent of soldiers, who went to Vietnam, or almost one million troops succumbed to PTSD

after their return. Satel finds that hard to believe because only 15 percent of troops in Vietnam

were assigned to combat units, so it is odd that 50 percent suffered symptoms of war trauma

(Behavioral Disorders). An example Satel used was several troubled middle-aged veterans who

had only minor complaints of nightmares or occasional disturbing thoughts of Vietnam who find
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themselves misdiagnosed with PTSD (Behavioral Disorders). The opinion I gather here was

many returned from Vietnam with minor trauma symptoms and they were diagnosed with PTSD

when they should not have been. Satel goes on further to state she believes doctors should

promote rehab more than disability, if this is done, she believes that there would be less vets

returning with PTSD (behavioral Disorders). It is unfair to pass onto these vets the legacy of

Vietnam (Behavioral Disorders). Doctors should thoroughly exam these vets upon return. Vets

are not being treated fairly, they are prescribed medications without being correctly diagnosed.

Before any medications are prescribed there should be a complete examination followed up by a

second opinion. These vets should be examined the same way mental patients are. At least two

out of three doctors should be able to say whether it’s PTSD, war trauma or malingering. I still

feel that misdiagnosis is happening now. For example, a guy I went to high school with retires

from the army about two years ago, he is very different now from when he was in high school.

He suffers with PTSD and it’s like a triggering affect on him. One day he is fine, the next day he

is out of his mind. This is way so many are misdiagnosed because they don’t always portray the

symptoms. However, many would think there is nothing wrong with individuals like this or he is

just malingering. I can personally attest that there is something wrong with him, he was a quiet,

smart, and shy person back then and didn’t bother anyone. Now he sings and dances in the

roadway, sends explicit pictures via social media, and cause s disturbances at local churches.

Their needs to be monitoring of these individuals especially if they are still be treated and cared

for by Veterans Affairs.

Why me? I am to young, I am not married, and I want children are things we often say

when tragic incidents happen to us. P.K. Phillips was young, beautiful, and talented but
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unbeknownst to anyone, she was terrorized by an undiagnosed debilitating mental illness

(Anxiety and Depression Association of America). Phillips states that PTSD was triggered by

several traumas in her life from a childhood laced with physical, mental, and sexual abuse, as

well as and attack at knife point that left her thinking she would die. It wasn’t until age 35 that

she was properly diagnosed with PTSD (Anxiety and Depression Association of America). After

the diagnosis Phillips began to relate back to when she wanted to harm herself, her daughter, and

when she stopped having friends. Phillips goes on further to state that she is no longer at the

mercy of her disorder because she has received the proper diagnosis and treatment. The most

important thing to know is that it’s never too late to seek help (Anxiety and Depression

Association of America). This is a survival story that could be beneficial to anyone suffering

with anything. Once you find the answer you need, there is no reason why you can’t seek the

proper treatment you need. It is basically up to you to take the step to begin restoring yourself.

Why my family? Is a question lots of families have when PTSD plagues, their loved

ones. As we now know PTSD doesn’t just happen to occur at a certain age, color, size, sex or

family it can occur to anyone. The harrowing combination of nightmares, flashbacks, hyper

vigilance, hyper arousal, anger a depression that plagues people with PTSD is a devasting

condition to experience (American Psychological Association). According to experts it’s often

overwhelming for family members. Family members often wonder how can they help their ailing

loved ones. According to American Addiction Centers, family members can be an important part

of the patient’s recovery from PTSD just by being a good listener and providing emotional

support. As family members there is an important part that can be took on in helping our loved

ones recover. As family members we need to continue to show love, be encouraging, and help
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them to be as comfortable as they can be. For some families it may be difficult to see a loved one

suffer, and for other family it may not be as hard. Families never know what to expect when their

loved ones return home. According to Veterans Affairs Canada, when children are in the home it

is suggested that the parents should talk to identify how children may innocently trigger intrusive

memories for example slamming a door or shouting.

As a family a vital thing to do is continue to trust God. There may not always be time to

go to church but finding a secret place in your home and praying will help. There is nothing to

hard for God and with him present in our lives our loved ones can be healed, delivered, and set

free from PTSD and any other illnesses. According to Hearts and Minds many families spoke

openly about their spouses upon return from war. Many stated that the noises such as an alarm

clock, air conditioner, and a cat paddling triggered theirs PTSD and they couldn’t tolerate it. In

some instances, the spouse was awakened from his sleep, and woke up swinging. PTSD has

touched families in many ways. Many families have learned to deal with this mental disorder and

some haven’t. I know a lady personally who has an adult daughter and son that suffers with

PTSD. She’s afraid of them but allows them to live with her to keep them from being homeless.

PTSD is no different than suffering from any other mental illness. There is medication out there

to be prescribed by physicians and us as family members need to take a stand with our loved

ones. Whether it’s being they’re in the midnight hour or the wee morning hours if they need us.

In conclusion, PTSD as we have learned is a mental disorder that many American should

be aware of. We have always heard the myth that PTSD is a mental disorder that veterans suffer

from. After thoroughly this topic I found out it can affect anyone. The purpose of this research

was to educate some and provide facts and information to others of facts they were not aware of.
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I touched on a few specific points that I felt were important and interesting to me. However,

there is still many more areas to touch on such as the therapy and treatment that is out there for

individuals suffering with PTSD. PTSD is no stranger it could affect my family or your family

next. So, let’s prepare ourselves for the unexpected and learn more about PTSD. This valuable

information could be a great aid to you or someone close to you.

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Works Cited

DeAngelia, Tori. ‘Helping families cope with PTSD”. American Psychological Association,

Volume 39, No.1, pp.44. https://www.apa.org/monitor/jan08/helping.aspx

January 2008.

McClelland. “Hearts and Minds: PTSD is already at epidemic levels among returning vets. And

now it’s spreading to their families.”

Mother Jones Jan.-Feb.2013: 16t. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web 24 Oct 2018

Onderko, Karen. “What is Trauma.”

Integrated Listening Systems, @ Copyright 2018

https://integratedlistening.com/what-is-trauma/

Phillips, P.K. “My story of Survival: Battling PTSD”

Anxiety and Depression Association of America

21 April. 2016

Satel, Sally. "The Iraq War Has Not Increased the Number of Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder." Behavioral Disorders. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010.

Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Iraq Veterans: Testimony

before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs." American Enterprise Institute. 2004. Opposing

Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Oct 2018

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“Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)” Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

“PTSD: growing Epidemic.” NIH Medline Plus.

Winter 2009 Issue: Volume 4 Number 1 Pages 10-14

“What is Post traumatic Disorder?” American Psychiatric Association

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd

“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Family” Veterans Affairs Canada

https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2011/11/post-traumatic-stress-disorder.html

“Living with: PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)” PscyGuides.com

https://www.psychguides.com/living-with-ptsd-posttraumatic-stress-disorder/
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