DSM-IV-TR is a diagnostic tool that is
offered to aid in identifying and diagnosing mental disorders (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Disorders such as somatoform, dissociative
disorders, affective and mood, and anxiety disorders are all forms of abnormal
psychology. Many different factors manipulate
one’s health from anxiety, mood/affective and dissociative/somatoform disorders. The elements of mood/affective,
dissociative/somatoform disorders and anxiety is all related.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is
defined as “significant posttraumatic anxiety symptoms occurring more
than one month after a traumatic experience” (Hansell & Damour, 2008, p.
125.) Symptoms begin roughly a month
after one has encountered a stressful event or the symptom lasts for longer
than a month. PTSD is broken down into
three types, acute, chronic, and delayed.
Acute is defined as when a patient suffers with symptoms for less than
three months. Chronic is a patient who
suffers with symptoms for longer than three months, and delayed is just as it
sounds when symptoms are delayed for six months post-traumatic experience.
There
are several occurrences where PTSD could be triggered. Events such as work related injury, car
accident, and death of a close family member, robbery, or rape, just to give a
few examples. Regardless of the event
when one can say it was traumatic only if
“accompanied by terror, horror, or helplessness” (Hansell & Damour,
2008, p. 125.) Many who suffer from PTSD
feel as if the event will constantly reoccur, regardless of the fact that the
probability is nearly impossible. Patient’s
minds convince them that the event will reoccur over and over until they
believe it to be so.
Major
depression is exhibiting feelings of emptiness or sadness that interfere with
thinking, sleep, energy levels and one’s activity (Hansell & Damour, 2008,
p. 166.) One can notice the difference
between major depression and depression based on the length of time one is
experiencing it as well as he or she will incur “several emotional, cognitive,
motivational or physical symptoms” (Hansell & Damour, 2008, p. 166.) Men
and women who suffer from major depression have been known to say they feel empty;
life experiences don’t have any feelings, good or bad, to them. Most influenced by depression are deeply
saddened and cry for lengths of time.
Sadly many who suffer from depression are unable to diagnose themselves
with it therefore it may last longer.
Those
who have been diagnosed with major depression, have the desire to find
answers. Sometimes they have a difficult
time understanding what is going on around them but eventually come around and
the situation does improve. Many times
others see the illness and offer to help but they do not accept they are
depressed therefore their efforts are futile.
Sadly some find that committing suicide is the only answer to resolving
their issue.
Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder occurs after a traumatic event. Age, gender and social class
will mask the anxiety disorder. The
biological view investigates the central nervous system, limbic system as well
as the neurotransmitters when discussing anxiety disorders (Hansell & Damour, 2008). The norepinephrine system is in hyper-drive
when one is diagnosed with symptoms of PTSD (Hansell
& Damour, 2008). Clinically
women are more susceptible to have PTSD over men because the gender roles have
not matured to overcome soft sufficiency (Hansell
& Damour, 2008).
For
someone to be diagnosed with PTSD, they must have been witness to a traumatic
event such as an actual death, possibility of threat to themselves or someone
else, or serious injury. The longevity of these symptoms needs to be greater
than six months. Many responses one has
that are diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder include fear,
helplessness, and horror. A person needs
to repeatedly experience the horrific event through dreams, hallucinations or
thoughts as if it were reoccurring in that given moment. Another diagnostic criteria are the avoidance
of stimuli from thoughts, feelings, people, and dis-associative interactions
with events in one’s life. American
Psychiatric Association notes that one must have symptoms that create arousal
in two ways (2000).
Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder is visible in many different forms. Many will avoid situations that cause
flashbacks of the given event (Morris, 2012). The treatment is both
done on an individual basis and in groups as well as a medicinal
treatment. Most of these medications
have serotonin reuptake inhibitors that stimulate the serotonin
neurotransmitter. Stewart (2009) finds
that “Preventing the
reuptake of serotonin has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression,
intrusion and avoidance, hyperaiousal, and numbing” (Page 461). As research continues to manifest, so will
treatments available to those who suffer from PTSD.
Depression
can be brought on by a myriad of things to include biology, psychology,
stressful events and genetics.
Depression is caused by the imbalance of chemicals in one’s brain, or
brought on by genetic connections, meaning that it runs in the family and there
is a greater chance of one contracting it based on the genes. Hansell and Damour (2008), think that
depression has different symptoms based on one’s age, demographics and sexual
orientation. Those who lead stressful
events compounded with a traumatic event will most likely result in depression. Several psychodynamic theorists think that
depression begins at childhood due to loss, personality traits, harsh superego
and anger turned in on oneself (Hansell &
Damour, 2008). However from a
sociocultural perspective, depression focus on ones ability to improve ones
self esteem and social support through employment and problem solving (Hansell & Damour, 2008).
The
diagnostic condition for one who is diagnosed with major depressive disorder is
one major depressive episode or all episodes that are not classified within a
schizoaffective disorder. According to
American Psychiatric Association, someone who has been diagnosed with manic,
mixed or hypomanic episode cannot be diagnosed with major depressive disorder
(2009).
As
one would expect the theoretical perspective has been supportive in treatment
of those diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Electroconvulsive therapy was developed in
1938. This procedure sends electrical ‘shocks’ through a patient’s skull
causing a controlled seizure. This occurs
for several minutes (Hansell,
2008). Many find results in this type of therapy, but others find it
‘inhumane’. A lesser form of treatment
would be and psychotherapy and medication.
An antidepressant medication is for any type of major depression. Most who are diagnosed with a major depressive
disorder work closely with psychologists in conjunction with medication to work
through the trauma.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as
it is most if the time called, is an anxiety disorder that is triggered by
traumatic events. Major depression is encompassing
both sadness and emptiness that is affected through thinking, activity energy
levels and sleep (Hansell & Damour, 2008, p. 166.). Post-traumatic stress disorder and major
depressive disorder influence a persons behavior in varying ways, and not
everyone will accept treatment the see the results the same as someone
else.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2000).
Diagnostic and statistical manual of
mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.
Hansell, J. & Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal
psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Morris, C. (2012, January 8). Life with PTSD. (C. Morris, Interviewer)
Nazario,
Brunilda (2008). Depression. WebMD
Retrieved August 25, 2010 from
http://www.webmd.com/depression/default.htm
Stewart,
C., & Wrobel, T. (2009). Evaluation of the Efficacy of Pharmacotherapy and
Psychotherapy in Treatment of
Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Meta-Analytic Review of
Outcome Studies. Military Medicine, 174(5), 460-469. Retrieved
from International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center database
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