Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, is a psychological disorder that develops in people who have experienced a traumatic event (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Recoveries from traumatic events vary from person to person, but most recover from the initial symptoms naturally. Although some struggle to recover from the problems that stem from trauma, these people are diagnosed with PTSD (NHS, 2020). This essay will discuss the general characteristics and symptoms of PTSD, the history behind PTSD, treatments for PTSD, and treatment resources in and around the area.
Characteristics and Symptoms Post-traumatic stress disorder comes with a vast array of symptoms and characteristics. PTSD is a serious thing, and it requires strict guidelines
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These include behavioral therapies, exposure therapies, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and narrative exposure therapy (NHS, 2020). Behavioral therapies help to improve negative behaviors, thoughts, and feelings shown in those who have PTSD. The patients face the traumatic event and reframe it, they then learn healthy ways to cope with the memories (NHS, 2020). Exposure therapies encourage the patient to face the traumatic memories head-on rather than avoiding them. This allows the patient to process their memories in a safe environment with professional help (NHS, 2020). A PTSD patient can also go through eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR Institute, 2017). EMDR is a complicated eight-phase treatment that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of trauma (EMDR Institute, 2017). A successful EMDR therapy would allow a rape victim to hold a firm belief that they survived it and are strong rather than feelings of horror and self-disgust (EMDR Institute, 2017). This therapy is to help patients feel empowered by the trauma that once made them feel worthless. Narrative exposure therapy is normally used for PTSD patients who experienced trauma as a result of political, cultural or social forces (APA, 2017). This therapy has the patient retell their life with a focus on their traumatic experience while incorporating positive events that happened at that time (APA, 2017). This makes patients associate happier feelings with the trauma, making the symptoms improve as a whole (APA,