PTSD, Physicalism, Madness, Lobotomy & ECT Psychology Research

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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The psychological effects of traumatic events such as terror, disasters, and wars have been known to have adverse effects on individuals. Psychological disorders refer to what most people view as mental disorders. Among them include anxiety disorders and stress-related disorders such as PTSD. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is among the main psychological disorders associated with trauma. It is common when a person has been exposed to extremely traumatic or terrifying events (Qi and Shalev). The affected person relives the traumatic events through flashbacks, intrusive memories or nightmares. Examples of traumatic events include both natural and unnatural disasters, accidents, military combat, and violent personal assaults. Military activities and PTSD are closely linked. During wartime, the soldiers are exposed to many traumatic events, which are very stressful. Due to the exposure to such events, cases of PTSD among soldiers who have been in war are common (Smith, Robinson, and Segal). Almost everyone has witnessed or experienced a very upsetting or a traumatic event in their lives. However, the majority of the people are able to recover from the experience without experiencing further effects. For those that are seriously affected, they may experience anxiety, distress or depression for a very long time.
PTSD cases have been on the rise in the USA, creating a huge burden to the health costs, with an annual estimation of $42.3 billion (PTSD United, Inc). The condition affects approximately 7.7 million adults annually, while it is estimated that approximately 6.8% of the entire American population suffer from PTSD at some point in their life. Women are almost two times more likely to suffer from the condition as compared to men, with the prevalence at 9.7% and 3.6%, respectively (PTSD United, Inc). The main events associated with PTSD in men include combat exposure, rape, and childhood violence, while in women, sexual and rape cases, physical touches and abuse are regarded as the main traumatic events.
Types of PTSD
There are five categories of PTSD types that include normal stress response, acute stress disorder, comorbid, uncomplicated, and complex PTSD (National Center for PTSD). Almost all people experience stress at a certain point in their life. A normal stress response is common even before an individual develops PTSD, and does not necessarily lead to the development of PTSD. It is common when an individual relieves a single traumatic experience. In most cases, the individuals recover within weeks without experiencing serious effects (National Center for PTSD). Acute stress disorder occurs when a person experiences a life-threatening event such as a sudden loss of a loved one, the risk of death or a catastrophic natural disaster. The key difference with the normal stress disorder is that acute stress disorder eventually develops to PTSD if left untreated. This category is characterized by severe insomnia, mental confusion, and distractions in one’s daily activities such as relationship and work activities (National Center for PTSD). The third category is uncomplicated PTSD, which is as a result of a single major traumatic event. It is considered the simplest form of PTSD. However, when a person has been exposed to multiple trauma, they are likely to develop complex PTSD. This is the commonest disorder among individuals that have experienced repeated cases of domestic abuse, sudden loss, continuous exposure to war as well as community violence. Comorbid PTSD is associated with several psychiatric disorders such as substance abuse, depression, anxiety disorder and panic disorder (National Center for PTSD). All the above categories present different symptoms, and the selection of the treatment method is dependent on the specific type of PTSD.
Causes of PTSD
The actual cause of PTSD has not been identified, but studies in the field point to physical, social, genetic and psychological factors. Among the key causes of PTSD include stressful events that a person has undergone in their lifetime. Higher severity of the traumatic events increases the chances of developing PTSD. Thus, people who experience traumatic events such as child abuse are at a high risk of developing PTSD, which could be months or years later, after the occurrence of such events (National Center for PTSD). In relation to genetic factors, family history of mental health risks, including depression and anxiety can be a trigger and cause of PTSD. Also, personality traits inherited from the parents are also causes of PTSD in some people. The key effect of PTSD is changing how the body responds to stress by affecting the stress chemicals and hormones that transmit information between nerves. Other causes include a job that exposes one to traumatic events such as military personnel in war zones or first aid responders. Problems with substance abuse and excessive alcohol consumption expose a person to the risk of developing the condition, which is worsened in cases an individual lacks a good and stable support system such as friends and family (Mayo Clinic Staff).
Symptoms
As previously stated, PTSD does not occur immediately after a traumatic event. However, even in the rare cases where a person starts showing symptoms immediately, they are not diagnosed with PTSD, unless when these symptoms last for at least a month. Additionally, the severity of the symptoms should be enough to interfere with the normal working schedules and routines of a person, causing distress at work or in their relationships with other people (National Institute of Mental Health). The symptoms are grouped into four groups, namely, re-experiencing, avoidance, arousal and reactivity, and cognitive and mood symptoms. For a doctor to diagnose one with PTSD, they must have shown at least one single symptom for re-experiencing and avoidance symptom categories, and two or more symptoms under arousal and reactivity and cognition and mood symptom categories. The four categories of symptoms are discussed in details below.
Re-Experiencing Symptom
This category includes symptoms that are related to reliving the traumatic event. A person can relieve trauma in several ways. Example include experiencing nightmares and upsetting dreams of the traumatic event and unwanted or disturbing memories that are usually recurrent, Also, an individual might relieve the events through flashbacks, which makes the memory feel so real as if they were happening all over again. Also, when someone experiences emotional distress or a physical reaction to a different event that reminds them of their experience. Relieving a traumatic experience may cause extreme levels of fear and helplessness similar to the ones experienced when the actual events took place (National Institute of Mental Health).
Avoidance Symptoms
One common trait of people who have a psychological disorder such as PTSD, mental illness, and depression is the desire to be alone. I...