POSTTRAUMATIC

STRESS DISORDER

Jos Pablo Alexandre

Mariana Garca
Jacqueline Flores
Denisse Abaid
Esteban Chavez

STRESS
Physiological or biological stress is an organism's response to a
stressor such as an environmental condition. Stress is a body's
method of reacting to a challenge. According to the stressful event,
the body's way to respond to stress is by sympathetic nervous
system activation which results in the fight-or-flight response
(Wikipedia [2015]).

POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS
DISORDER
If you are involved in or witness a traumatic event, it
is common to experience confusing feelings after.
The feelings of discomfort may not appear right
away, most commonly you feel "emotionally numb at
first". After a while you may develope emotional and
physical reactions, such as feeling easily upset or not
being able to sleep. These along with other
symptoms are diagnosed as PTSD. (Mind.org, 2013)

SYMPTOMS OF PTSD
The symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, are divided in three categories;
1. Reliving: is when you remember thoughts, and memories of the trauma. This reliving,
may include having flashbacks, hallucinations, and sometimes nightmares. For this
things to happen, they may remember the date of the event.
2. Avoiding: when this happens, the person who has the trauma, may try to avoid people,
places, thoughts, and even though situations that may remind them of the trauma.
When avoiding happens, may cause the person to become a lonely person, isolation
from not only society and friends, but also from the family.
3. Increased Arousal: this means, that the person has excessive emotions; problems
relating to others, including feeling or showing affection; difficulty falling or staying
asleep; irritability; outbursts of anger; difficulty concentrating; and being "jumpy" or
easily startled. The person may also suffer physical symptoms, such as increased blood
pressure and heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, nausea, and diarrhea
((WebMd [2015]).

HOW COMMON IS PTSD

Posttraumatic stress, was first brought to the attention of the
medical community by war veterans with the names shell shock
and battle fatigue syndrome. However, PTSD can occur in anyone
who has experienced a traumatic event. People who have been
abused as children or who have been repeatedly exposed to lifethreatening situations are at greater risk for developing PTSD.
(WebMd [2015])

COMMON TREATMENT
PTSD is commonly treated by psychiatric treatment
depending on the severity of the event. Things such
as stress relievers up to anti-depressants are
commonly prescribed. (Mayo Clinic, 2014)
Psychotherapy: involves helping the person learn skills to manage
symptoms and develop ways of coping. Psychotherapy includes, six
types;
o Cognitive behavioral therapy: means learning to recognize and
change thoughts that lead to the trouble emotions.
(WebMd [2015])


oExposure therapy: means, having the person re-live the traumatic experience, or
exposing the person to objects or situations that cause anxiety. This therapy, helps
the person confront the fear, and become more comfortable with the situation.
oPsychodynamic Therapy: helps the person examine, their personal values and the
emotional conflicts that the event caused.
oFamily therapy: helps the person, to express the feelings, and to trust the members
of his family.
oGroup therapy: allows the person, to share his feelings, fears, and thoughts with
other people that might been in a similar situation.
oEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: is a complex form of
psychotherapy that was initially designed to alleviate distress associated with
traumatic memories but is now also used to treat phobias (WebMd [2015]).

REFERENCES
Posttraumatic stress. (2015). In Webmd. Recovered from http://
www.webmd.com/mental-health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder
Stress. (2015). In Wikipedia. Recovered from https
://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_(biology )
Unknown (2013) Mind.org.What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Retrieved from:
http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/pos
t-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/#.Vm9xefnhDcc
Mayo Clinic (2014) Mayo Clinic. PTSDTests and Diagnosis.
Rretrieved from:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/bas
ics/tests-diagnosis/con-20022540