What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental Illness, which includes a collection of symptoms which are caused by one or more traumatic events in ones life. It can be, and often is, diagnosed with other mental illnesses. Symptoms, treatment and recovery may be similar to other mental illness, such as medication, therapy, and self care.
In this article I would like to present the basics of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it’s causes, The causes.
The clinical Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) uses the following criteria for the diagnosis of PTSD. This week we will begin with A), the cause:
- The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present:
- the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others
- the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Note: In children, this may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior
This week I would like to take a look at the first set of criteria, the cause as it pertains to women.
The causes for women include:
- Child sexual abuse resulting in intense fear, helplessness, horror, inability to trust, distorted feelings about sex/relationships.
- Child emotional abuse resulting in helplessness and an inability to thrive psychologically, trust others or self.
- Child physical/emotional neglect resulting in fear, helplessness, and horror, inability to thrive psychologically, or to trust others or self.
All of these will later in life cause a woman to grieve over a childhood that was missed. Mixed emotions about the person (s) who committed the acts, self-doubt, anger, and even rage.
- Attempted/Completed Rape, resulting in intense fear, helplessness, horror, lowered self-esteem, and guilt/shame. (although the women should not feel guilt/shame, it is very common)
- Physical/emotion/sexual abuse in relationships. Often, women will stay in these relationships due to inability to support herself and her children, threats of harm by spouse (death of women, children, other family members) if she leaves, inability to find a safe place to go, lack of finances to leave. Some women are so conditioned by their spouse that they actually believe they deserve this treatment, and it often begins to feel "normal".
- Death of a spouse or close family member.
- Children who have witnessed the physical/emotional/sexual abuse of their mother, resulting in intense fear, helplessness, horror, and distorted feelings about
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Cheryl Foote's Post-Traumatic Stress topic, please visit the Discussions page.