Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Introduction Whether at war or at home, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been around since the earliest records of violence in the history of humankind. Although it has been known by different names such as shell shock or combat exhaustion, the symptoms have remained relatively the same and not exclusive to war or combat. PTSD is known to be incurable, but with the advent of modern day treatments and therapies many symptoms of PTSD can be mitigated and alleviated.
Background
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined by DSM-5 as a trauma and stressor related disorder where the individual being diagnosed has been exposed to a serious and traumatic experience. In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, the individual must have been

PTSD is a common disorder that is diagnosed in both service members and veterans returning from combat zones regardless of the historical time period they served in. Whether it is the threats of improvised explosive devices in the mountains of Afghanistan, ambush attacks on U.S. service members during the Vietnam War, or the banzai charges of Japanese soldiers against soldiers and Marines fighting the island hopping campaigns in the Pacific theater of war during World War 2; the symptoms have always been the same albeit named or treated differently throughout history. On the civilian side of the spectrum, PTSD can also be diagnosed in survivors of homicide attempts or sexual assaults, vehicular accidents, refugees fleeing armed conflicts, or any other life threatening events. One major event in recent memory are the survivors of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, with many survivors being diagnosed with PTSD following the horrific events they

The first type of medication that will be talked about are antidepressants. They assist in treating the anxiety related and depressive symptoms by raising the serotonin in the brains of individuals diagnosed with PTSD. Some of the major antidepressants prescribed include Zoloft, Prozac, and Celexa. Anti-anxiety medications are also prescribed in treating anxiety and stress related symptoms of PTSD and work by targeting chemicals in the patient's brain. As with many drugs and medications, there is always a potential present for abuse or tolerance as well. Individuals taking these medications may feel side effects that are both physiological and mental in nature. Patients who have not taken their prescribed medication of have grown a tolerance may also show an increased risk for suicide, which is already a high risk for individuals suffering from