Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Research Paper

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Many people throughout the world suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder also known as PTSD. This is a disorder that must be diagnosed and can be caused from a variety of reasons. “PTSD is classified as an anxiety disorder that develops in some individuals after exposure to an extremely traumatic event(s).” (Kazdin) One of the symptoms of PTSD is re experiencing the traumatic event. In most cases disruptive memories constantly occur relating to the trauma. Frightening dreams and nightmares are an example of memories that often occur. Flashbacks of the event are also something related to the disorder. Flashbacks can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. (Kazdin) PTSD can occur in many different situations,
The trauma experienced must be approved by a doctor to be considered a life threatening occurrence. Many physicians have such difficulty in diagnosing patients with this disorder. Since talking about the trauma may induce painful emotions many patients often refrain from talking about the event. When someone is unwilling to discuss their traumatic event, this is difficult to make an accurate diagnosis. Feelings such as guilt or shame are associated with the disorder which can make a person uncomfortable talking even to a professional. During the diagnostic process physicians often require the disturbance which can range from flashbacks to night terrors to last for at least a month. (Kazdin) Significant distress is also another requirement that most look for during the diagnosis process. Because there is little to no neurological proof of being inflicted with PTSD, physicians must work with a patient and must be able to fully understand how a patient feels and what they
Both Zeitoun and his wife Kathy suffered from PTSD. During the novel Zeitoun is captured and brought to jail. He suffered many months before being released. This took a toll on both him and his wife. The couple showed symptoms of PTSD towards the end of the book. Zeitoun would have a hard time falling asleep due to the fact he was thinking of all the people and places he witnessed months after Katrina. It had mentioned that he avoided driving past the Clairborne and the Greyhound station because it had brought back bad memories for him. What Kathy had experienced was a little different. Kathy began losing cognitive functions such as loosing feelings in her hands, memory loss and anxiety. For the few months after the hurricane the Zeitoun’s lived with high stress levels, but did not show signs of PTSD until months later. Remaining in the center of the disaster must have also played a role in how the disorder on both husband and wife