What is post traumatic stress disorder?

n. (Abbr. PTSD)
A psychological disorder affecting individuals who have experienced or witnessed profoundly traumatic events, such as torture, murder, rape, or wartime combat, characterized by recurrent flashbacks of the traumatic event, nightmares, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, profound depression, forgetfulness, and social withdrawal.

PTSD has only been recognized as a formal diagnosis since 1980. However, it was called by different names as early as the American Civil War, when combat veterans were referred to as suffering from "soldier's heart." In World War I, symptoms that were generally consistent with this syndrome were referred to as "combat fatigue." Soldiers who developed such symptoms in World War II were said to be suffering from "gross stress reaction," and many troops in Vietnam who had symptoms of what is now called PTSD were assessed as having "post-Vietnam syndrome." PTSD has also been called "battle fatigue" and "shell shock."

This disorder is described as occurring when:

A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following conditions were present:

(1) 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 .

(2) the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness or horror.

 B. The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in one (or more) of the following ways:

(1) recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions.

(2) recurrent distressing dreams of the event.

(3) acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated).

(4) intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

(5) physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.

C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by at least three (or more) of the following:

(1) efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings or conversations associated with the trauma;

(2) efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma;

(3) inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma;

(4) markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities;

(5) feelings of detachment or estrangement from others;

(6) restricted range of emotional effect;

(7) sense of a foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or even a long life span).

The Diagnostic criteria for PTSD as described within section 309.81, DSM-IV, goes on to state:

D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated by two (or more) of the following:

(1) difficulty falling or staying asleep;

(2) irritability or outbursts of anger;

(3) difficulty concentrating;

(4) hyper-vigilance (always looking for danger, worrying about people getting hurt, still looking for tripwires and sitting with your back to the wall, avoiding crowds, etc.);

(5) exaggerated startle response;

(6) The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Those who suffer with PTSD, their families, friends and associates know all too well the devastating affects of this tragic disorder in lives ruined, marriages destroyed, jobs lost and, often, crimes committed.

As the saying goes, "Not all wounds are visible." The visible ones can be readily observed and treated. The invisible wounds are never that easy and often more debilitating, not only to the injured, but everyone around them.

Old Guard Riders Inc. is endeavoring to put together an effective, ever developing PTSD Awareness Program aimed at helping those living with PTSD, whatever their association with the disorder may be, to better understand exactly what the disorder is and how it effects those who are afflicted with.

The focus of the program is as follows;

• What is PTSD

• What are the symptoms of PTSD

• How many veterans are affected by PTSD and at what cost to society

• How does PTSD affect the daily life of the PTSD individual

• How does PTSD affect marriage, work and social interaction

• Learning to Cope with PTSD

• Treatment options for PTSD

For more information on The Veterans PTSD Awareness Program or to become involved in the program, please email National OGR.

A portion of the above information was abridged from the Military Veterans PTSD Reference Manual

Master Table of Contents

Click on Table of Contents image to open the Table of Contents