Dealing with PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, otherwise known as PTSD, is a deadly condition in which a person’s brain cannot function properly after a traumatic event occurs. Some examples of traumatic events are car crashes, wars, the death of a family member, or even a natural disaster. When terrorists bombed the Twin Towers on 9/11, this affected a ton of people. In the novel, Holden’s thoughts and experiences relate to what real people with PTSD go through in their lives, based on the fact that they both have similar causes, symptoms, and treatment options for the disease. TALK ABOUT HOMELESS POSSIBLUY There are many causes that can affect a person in a certain way so that they get PTSD. Some of the most common instigators of PTSD …show more content…
However, the symptoms might not show up right away. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms will typically show up 3 months after the traumatic incident, but in some cases they can even emerge years later. The symptoms must be ongoing for over a month to be classified as PTSD. “PTSD symptoms are generally grouped into four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, or changes in emotional reaction” (Mayo Clinic). Some of the symptoms involved with intrusive memories are flashbacks, dreams or recurrent and unwanted memories of the traumatic event. On the other hand there are many symptoms that fall into the category of avoidance. A few symptoms are avoiding certain objects, places, or even people that remind the person of the event. In addition the person will also try to avoid talking or thinking about what happened during the event. When a person is dealing with negative changes in their thinking and mood they typically have no positivity and have negative feelings about everything. Adding on to that, the usually cannot remember certain parts of the traumatic event and they feel hopeless. The people feel like they are trapped in a dark room with no way out. In the final category that deals with changes in emotional reactions the person is filled with anger and is ready to pounce at any moment. On top of that, the person is easily startled, has trouble sleeping, and feels as if it is they caused the accident to happen. When these symptoms do not go away the person involved should reach out to family and friends, call a suicide hotline number, or even talk to a local preacher or minister. A person should even call 911 or take someone to the hospital if need. In the novel, Holden shows almost all of the symptoms of