Based On The Research We Have What Causes Ptsd To Develop
The cause of PTSD is experiencing, witnessing, or learning about a traumatic event and how youre able to mentally process it in the aftermath. Thats why its often seen in people who have been in military combat. They may have committed or watched a violent act, or learned about the death of someone they served with.
Sadly, life-altering trauma can also happen in everyday life. Although mental health professionals use a specific definition of trauma to diagnose PTSD, there are many different adverse experiences that can impact people in a variety of important ways. Regardless of whether you develop PTSD is mostly about how you as an individual process the experience. Not everyone who goes through a trauma goes on to develop PTSD. In fact, most people do not.
You have to have some sort of event or situation that occurred that you perceive as traumatic, says Kathryn Moore, PhD, a psychologist at Providence Saint Johns Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica, California.
Common types of traumatic events linked to PTSD include:
These events and experiences trigger intense fear, causing our bodies to react in fight or flight survival mode.
Researchers arent exactly sure what causes traumatic events to lead to PTSD in some people the reasons seem to be complex and involve many factors. But one factor may be that trauma leads to a chronic stress response in some people, changing the way they are able to cope with that event and future stressors.
How To Know When To Seek Professional Help After A Traumatic Event
Although PTSD cant officially be diagnosed until 30 days after a traumatic event, its a good idea to see a professional whenever youre having any of the symptoms listed above. If your symptoms are negatively affecting your day-to-day life, its a sign you can benefit from help processing the trauma.
Experiencing for more than two to three weeks is a general warning sign that, if left unresolved, you may develop PTSD, says Brown.
Getting therapy at any point after a traumatic event can help you to start healing. Talk therapy and medication given after exposure to a trauma can be very effective in reducing the risk of developing PTSD, explains Dr. Mehta.
People who are open to getting help are more likely to recover faster from traumatic events than those who tend to keep it all inside, says Brown.
Dont Leave Our Suffering Veterans Alone
Many of our veterans are living with PTSD, enduring the pain and trouble it causes them. Because of this condition, theyre unable to find decent and stable jobs to support themselves and their families.
The good news is that you can help provide them great opportunities to overcome their mental health condition and other transition issues they face. All you have to do is donate any vehicle you no longer need to us at Veteran Car Donations.
Well auction off your donation and use the proceeds to support the critical programs and services being provided by our military and veteran charity partners.
Some of these IRS-approved 5013 nonprofits provide free psychotherapy and other related services specifically for veterans suffering from PTSD. Our other nonprofit partners provide their beneficiaries with quality health care, financial aid, housing assistance, employment opportunities, mentoring, family support, educational scholarships, and many other benefits.
You will also get benefits when you take part in our vehicle donation program. Not only will you get our free pickup and towing service wherever you are in the country, but youll also qualify to receive a top tax deduction in the next tax season.
You can donate almost any type of vehicle, whether relatively new or not. In most cases, we accept even vehicles that are no longer running.
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How Is Ptsd Treated
Many people have some symptoms of PTSD in the first couple of weeks after a traumatic event, but most recover on their own or with the help of family and friends.
For people whose symptoms last longer, PTSD is treated with psychotherapy or sometimes medicine, or both. Everyone’s PTSD is different, so if you have PTSD you might need to try a few different types of treatment before you find something that works for you.
Biological And Neurological Factors
Two risk factors that have been shown to possibly influence the development of PTSD after trauma are IQ and neuroticism. Those who tend to score lower on IQ tests have been shown to be more susceptible to developing PTSD.
In addition, people who have greater neuroticism have shown to be more likely to have PTSD.
Neuroticism is a personality trait of people who are more likely than average to experience anxiety, feelings of guilt, worry, fear, anger, frustration, and sadness.
As mentioned previously, there is an increasing number of research studies dedicated to exploring the role of genetics in the development of PTSD. Being that PTSD does not occur in everyone who experiences a traumatic event, these continued findings help to better determine who may be at greatest risk so that interventions and treatments can be of the most help.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, along with other conditions such as major depression, is associated with decreased brain volume, particularly in the prefrontal areas. Research has shown that this decreased volume was associated with greater self-reports of anxiety in participants.
Understanding that the emotional impact of trauma can have a cumulative effectit can be easier to understand how past traumatic experiences can be a risk factor for someone developing PTSD after a marked traumatic event.
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The Dsm Definition Of A Traumatic Event
Compared to previous editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , the 5th edition more clearly details the elements of a traumatic event, particularly within the framework of diagnosing PTSD.
The DSM-5 defines PTSD triggers as exposure to actual or threatened:
- Sexual violation
Furthermore, the exposure must result from one or more of the following situations, in which the individual:
- Directly experiences the traumatic event
- Witnesses the traumatic event in person
- Learns that the traumatic event occurred to a close family member or close friend
- Experiences first-hand, repeated, or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event
Definition And Key Symptoms
PTSD is an emotional and physical change that develops after exposure to a psychologically traumatic event, which is beyond ones usual experiences and has to be taken seriously as a disease of clinical significance . PTSD is one of the most severe psychological disorders and has a strong impact on the life of the affected person because it exceeds ones possibilities of coping. It endures longer and is less frequent than an acute stress response and may also occur belatedly after months or years. Such events may be overwhelming also for emergencies forces workers and other employees of special occupational groups independently of their service grade, or task and they concern oneself.
Within the workplace there are a range of events which can potentially cause PTSD, these include: experiencing another persons death, witnessing physical, emotional or psychological harm that threatens ones safety or the stability of ones world . In short, such traumatic events can cause significant psychological trauma.
Nurses, social workers, emergency medical service and psychosocial helpers bear the risk of experiencing attacks by patients, being confronted with the death of people and colleagues and experiencing the suffering of others without being able to help.
Fire-fighters and police officers are prone to being attacked, witnessing the death or suicide of colleagues, having to shoot another person, being injured themselves or experiencing the threat to their own lives.
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How To Handle The Risk Of Ptsd
This section introduces strategies for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation in cases of work-related PTSD. A preventative approach is strongly emphasised in occupational settings. To reduce the risk of PTSD development, the demands imposed on the person have to be decreased and mobilisation of resources maximised. As a first step, traumatic situations in a working context should be avoided as far as this is possible. At a secondary level, the goal is to help the person to master the traumatic situation with the personal and organisational resources available. Just the last step is to indicate suitable ways of dealing with the disorder when symptoms are present. For the first and second level interventions, the following strategies have been found to be useful with regard to what employers could do and what can be done on an organizational level, as the both of them intertwine.
Selected Major Accomplishments In Va Research
- 1989:Created the National Center for PTSD to address the needs of Veterans and other trauma survivors with PTSD
- 2007: Confirmed the value of prolonged exposure therapy as a treatment for women Veterans with PTSD
- 2013:Funded, along with the Department of Defense, two consortia to improve treatment for PTSD and mild traumatic brain injury
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Probable Risk Factors Of Ptsd
Demographic variables assessed in this study included age, gender, marital status and educational level. Earthquake exposure related variables comprised: house damage, injuries to self and injury or death of family members . Post-earthquake variables were change in economic status presence of chronic illnesses hypertension, b) diabetes, c) cerebral infarction, d) cancer, e) angina pectoris, f) asthma, or g) gout) and methods employed by the participants to evaluate their own health I regularly measure vital signs such as blood pressure, b) I regularly measure my weight, c) I regularly consult online resources and books about health issues, d) regularly visit Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors, and e) regular check ups at the hospital). The latter variable was supposed to indicate whether someone was more or less concerned about their overall health. Based on chronic illnesses reported, we created a sum index for the number of chronic illnesses for further analysis ranging from zero to seven. We also constructed a sum index for the number of methods employed by the study participants to evaluate their own health ranging from zero to five.
Ptsd Risk Factors That Can Affect Anyone
Content/Trigger Warning: Please be advised, the below article might mention trauma-related topics that include sexual assault & violence which could potentially be triggering.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a chronic condition that affects approximately 7 to 8 percent of the United States population. Although women are more likely to experience PTSD at a prevalence of 10 out of 100 people , PTSD can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender, and ethnicity. This article will discuss some of the most common sources of trauma that can develop into PTSD.
1. War
When people think of PTSD, war and its veterans are typically the first to come to mind, and the effects of being placed in a highly stressful environment can be extremely harmful to one’s mental health.
Out of the 2.3 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, approximately 20 percent of them have PTSD. Veterans of the Gulf War, particularly during Operation Desert Storm, experience PTSD at a rate of about 10%. However, Vietnam veterans struggle with PTSD at a staggering rate of 30 percent.
Due to the violent nature of war, being at risk of being injured or killed as well as potentially witnessing other deceased soldiers or civilizations can take its toll and cause psychological trauma.
2. Domestic Violence
Another significant PTSD risk factor is domestic violence, and its prevalence is believed to be more common than combat trauma.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Gynecological Issues
- Psychosomatic Problems
References
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Implications For Resilience And Post
This meta-analysis consolidates and summarizes years of work across hundreds of studies, providing solid findings across a large and diverse population. While there is much more to say about resilience, post-traumatic growth, and PTSD, it clarifies the differences among key overlapping factors, providing a platform for insight and action by identifying high-value targets.
Hope, optimism, general self-efficacy, and specific self-efficacy are overlapping constructs, all potentially contributing to resilience in the face of adversity, as well as during times of ease. They are not the same, varying depending on how targeted to the particular trauma or person they are, how relevant they are to planning, , and action.
Optimism and general self-efficacy may support a general context of positivity, framing the situation as one which will ultimately work out well and providing one with the general sense of being able to handle difficulties, without saying why or how. Like belief in free will, optimism and general self-efficacy help to bring forth a world where things can change, enhancing the sense of possibility, creativity, better alternatives, and cognitive flexibility.
Individuals equipped with high self-efficacy and hope are thinking ahead and planning for contingencies, carried forward by the clear vision of desirable outcomes, empowered by having worked out the steps to get therewith contingency plans for when things go sideways.
References
Supporting Someone With Ptsd
Research has shown that support from family and friends is important in helping someone overcome the debilitating effects of PTSD. Couples or family therapy can help to fix damaged relationships. In some cases, family members may need to seek support of their own.
For detailed information on the most effective treatments for PTSD, see The Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
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Hope Optimism And Self
In the Journal of Clinical Psychology , authors Gallagher, Long, and Phillips consolidate and analyze the existing literature on four key coping factors: hope, optimism, specific self-efficacy, and general self-efficacy.
While at first glance, there is overlap, these factors are different in critical ways. Understanding those differences is important to understand what works bestand how best to use limited resources.
Researchers sorted over 4,500 published articles, identifying high-quality research on PTSD to include in their final meta-analysis. A meta-analysis is a research design that uses a structured approach to pool data from earlier studies in order to draw more robust conclusions than smaller studies can yield. Selecting about 10 percent which met quality criteria, they looked at correlations between PTSD risk and each of the four factors. When available, they reported on “prospective” studieswhere protective factors were measured before trauma happened, suggestive of a possible cause-and-effect relationship.
The Ptsd Risk Factors For Our Veterans
Several risk factors have been identified as probable causes of a veteran developing PTSD. These factors manifest during and even after a combat mission. Experts say PTSD can develop even after soldiers transitioned out of active service.
Here are some of the PTSD risk factors for veterans:
This stands as the topmost reason why veterans contract PTSD. Those who were not able to experience combat and mostly had office duties have a lower percentage of developing the disorder, compared to those who were deployed or participated in actual combat missions.
These worries plus the length of time away from home also add to the risk of developing PTSD. If a veteran had several tours of duty overseas without a break in between, they are more likely to develop the condition.
Veterans who witnessed grisly injuries or deaths during their deployment, especially if someone they knew personally was the victim, also have a strong chance of developing PTSD. Such traumatic events can create intense feelings of fear and awareness of ones mortality.
These also serve as strong PTSD risk factors for veterans. Participation in rescue missions, risking enemy fire to get comrades to safety, or even just randomly being fired upon on patrol are some examples of these.
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Ptsd May Be Preventable: Science
The good news is that developing PTSD might be preventable by knowing your risk profile and getting proper support immediately after a traumatic event.
Researchers found that in the case of women who sought care after being raped a common cause of PTSD identifying those with PTSD risk factors, such as other mental health conditions and a significant acute stress response, could help healthcare providers offer the correct support after the event.
The sooner people get help, the better their chances are of recovering and getting back to their normal level of functioning, Dr. Brown says.
Links For Further Reading
Javidi, H., Yadollahie, M. Post-traumatic Stress disorder, International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 3 , 2012. Available at:
Kindta, M., Engelhard, I.M. Trauma processing and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder, Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 36, 2005, pp. 6976.
Bronisch, T. History of the diagnosis of a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder , Psychotherapie 15. Jahrg. , 15 , 2010, pp. 195-203. Available at:
Breslau, N., Anthony, J.C. Gender Differences in the Sensitivity to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder:An Epidemiological Study of Urban Young Adults, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116 , 2007, pp. 607611.
Iennaco, J., Dixon, J., Whittemore, R., Bowers, L. Measurement and Monitoring of Health Care Worker Aggression Exposure , OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 18 , 2013, Manuscript 3.
Collins, P.A., Gibbs, A.C.C. Stress in police officers: a study of the origins, prevalence and severity of stress-related symptoms within a county police force, Occupational Medicine, 53, 2003, pp. 256264.
Zeev, K., Iancu, I., Bodner, E. A review of psychological debriefing after extreme stress. Psychiatric Services, 52 , 2001, pp. 824-827.
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