Page 37 - Total War on PTSD

37 of 1042
Source: Pixabay
CHAPTER 1 - SIGNS, SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT OF PTSD Dr. Heidi Knock, Clinical Psychologist, Department of Veterans Affairs
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can result from a variety of traumatic experiences, affecting children and adults alike. Most lay people understand that individuals exposed to war can develop PTSD, however, any trauma, whether it was witnessed by or being directly threatening to, the individual can result in PTSD. Some examples of traumatic events include childhood abuse, car accidents, natural disasters, physical or sexual assault, being the victim of a crime, etc. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the prevalence rate of PTSD among adults is approximately 3.5%, with women having a higher occurrence rate than men. PTSD can be diagnosed anytime throughout the lifespan, however, 6-years-old is the minimum age requirement for an individual to be diagnosed with this disorder.
Signs and Symptoms of PTSD:
PTSD can be diagnosed in individuals who either witness or are directly threatened with death or serious injury either to themselves or another person. The child who witnesses their mother being physically beat by their father is just as likely to develop PTSD as the combat Veteran who is attacked in an ambush or a mortar attack. Not everyone who is exposed to a trauma will develop PTSD, however, combat Veterans are more susceptible to this disorder due to their often repetitive and prolonged exposure to trauma in war zones, which can include mortar attacks, suicide bombers, snipers, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), vehicle borne IEDs (VBIEDS),