PTSD Research Paper
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a big problem among army veterans. Post-traumatic stress order among veterans is caused by the fact that they experienced life-threatening, traumatic, horrid and dangerous events while serving in the military. Most army veterans have also experienced their colleagues and friends die in combat. Most of these experiences have left them feeling helpless and dejected with life.
Army veterans find it difficult in adjusting to civilians’ way of life. They are so used to life in the military that readjusting to life outside the military becomes a serious problem.
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Families and loved ones of Army veterans find them strange. Army veterans seem to be always emotionally disconnected from their families. Army veterans’ sleeplessness and lack of interest in life are often strange among their families. Army veterans are also highly susceptibility to anger and irritation; they are also constantly on guard.PTSD Research Paper.
The main character is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He is afraid of disclosing his condition to his mother because he is afraid that his mother may not understand his condition and as a result, she may develop health complications. He jogs on a daily basis as a therapy to forget his horrid experiences. However, he cannot seem to forget horror and death that he witnessed while serving in the military (Castner 4). The protagonist experienced scattered body parts of Iraqi policemen killed by car bombs.
The protagonist served in the military, but even though he is back at home with his family, images of events during his military service are still rife in his mind. Images of military helicopters, rifles, screaming women and Toyota Hilux pickup trucks can’t seem to escape his mind (Castner 5).
When the character was in military service, he and his colleagues longed to go back home to be with their wives and children. The combatant and his colleagues were always afraid of being shot while serving in the military (Castner 5).
The central character is unable to sleep; his mind is full of thoughts about events he experienced while serving in the military. Courtesy of the thoughts the character has on several occasions found himself on the floor with no thoughts as to how he went from the bed to the floor (Castner 6).PTSD Research Paper.
The protagonist’s heartbeat is strange, his heartbeat is always skipping, loud, sporadic and he often feels crazy. The character does not seem to understand what is happening to him (Castner 6).
The combatant cannot stop to remember the hostility he and his colleagues faced from locals when serving in the military. There is an instance when he almost lost his life when an Iraqi mob surrounded a vehicle they were driving in at a marketplace (Castner 7).
The protagonist’s post-traumatic disorder after his service in the military did not happen instantly; it developed with time and was fuelled by thoughts of his horrid experiences while serving in the military. The character’s crazy feeling also stems from the fact that there is a cultural difference between America and the Arabic countries where he served in the military. Apparently, the character had accustomed himself to the Iraqis way of life and is finding it difficult adapting to the American way of life. However, with time, the character easily fell back into his old routine. He started to drink alcohol; he was an alcoholic before he joined the military. Other than drinking alcohol, the character found it difficult to adjust to American’s way of life (Castner 8).
Work Cited
Catner, Brian. The Long Walk: A story of war and the life that follows. New York: Doubleday.
Post-traumatic stress refers to the mental effects that characterize people who have at one point or the other experienced stress. Such stress is usually felt in the later interactions of the people concerned in their relationships. Drug abuse and truancy are some of the manifest highlights of post-traumatic stress. It is important to find ways in which PSTD can be diagnosed and further treated, and this forms the basis of the succeeding discussion.PTSD Research Paper.
Assessment of the Client
Upon conducting the required assessment, there are several dynamics that are present in the Thompson family. First of all, each family member expressed some type of issue ranging from LGBTQ concerns to marital infidelity. One of the interesting signs of the family was William Thompson, who is the veteran in the family. When looking at his video, he had difficulty looking at the interviewer’s camera and actively avoided questions about his own probable diagnosis, which are all symptoms in line with PTSD in the DSM-5 manual (Barratt, 2015). Additionally, one could see that William was extremely uncomfortable thinking there is something emotionally wrong with him, which falls in line with the general sense of shame veterans tend to experience when being evaluated and treated for PTSD (Barratt, 2015).
Another person in the family who is possibly suffering from a mild form of PTSD is the wife, Rosita. There is also the sense of shame, stress and other symptoms linking her behavior to a possible diagnosis. It is apparent from the mother in law’s interview that there is a great deal of tension in the home because of Henry’s infidelity as well as the children’s overall behavior, specifically Zora. As stated by Barratt (2015), a patient does not have to have served in the military to suffer from PTSD; a person can suffer from it due to other traumatic circumstances. PTSD Research Paper.
Treatment of PSTD
There are several ways that the client can be treated for PTSD. First, it is important to convince William that he does suffer from the affliction and he needs to receive treatment. He seems to have a great deal of denial about his disease and how negatively it has affected all aspects of his life. Some drugs might be appropriate, but according to Hoge et al (2014) simply medicating soldiers without appropriate behavioral therapy is one of the main reasons patients drop out of treatment. There are options available such as group and individual therapy, but there are new ways technology is being used to treat the symptoms of PTSD. According to Norrholm et al (2016), virtual reality therapy is being used in conjunction with medication and other more traditional forms of therapy to develop new treatment options for those who suffer from PTSD.
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Furthermore, psychotropic medications could be used to treat the patients in this case. Such treatment is preferred as it offers the best solutions that solve the root cause of the issue. Rosen et al (2016) also suggest the use of telephone therapy in order to keep closer contact with patients at a moment’s notice. Telephone and web-based therapy has been in use with other methods of therapy with great success, according to the authors of the study and has the same rate of success with PTSD sufferers. These are also methods of therapy that could be used with Rosita if it is determined that she also suffers from a mild form of PTSD.
There are several ways that William can improve from the suggested therapeutic approaches. The obvious therapeutic approaches include safety, mindfulness, managing flashbacks, sleep hygiene and managing physiologic arousal. However, it must be confirmed that CBT and EMDR therapy are effective for PTSD.PTSD Research Paper. William has a comorbidity of alcoholism, and this should be the starting point for the therapeutic process to be effective. First of all, in his file, it is stated that he has just gotten married, and he can experience improved communication and problem solving skills. His work situation can also improve because his drinking would cease and the overall behavioral patterns that got him into trouble with his employer would cease.
Additionally, William getting treatment can allow him to be supportive of his brother’s children who have their own issues. He could become a positive role model for all of them and encourage them to work on their own problems. Finally, William could be a supportive figure for his brother Henry so that he can work on improving his relationship with his wife and children. William’s life would improve in all areas if he works with his therapist and keeps in contact with them using technology provided to him. Perhaps eventually he could have family therapy sessions to work on the other identified issues in the family case file.