Post Traumatic Stree Disorder

Outline

Section 1: Bang

This section is mainly about my grandfather’s story in the war, and how he had acquired Post-Traumatic Stress disorder. It describes the incident that he was in, and how he thinks about that incident just about everyday. At the end of this section it briefly describes what PTSD is, and how it ties in with my grandfather.

Section 2: Living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and ways to recover from it.

This section is the bulk of this paper. It describes in detail what the disorder is, and the statistics of people in America dealing with it. I wrote about the symptoms and signs to notice, if there’s a chance that they person might have this disorder, and I described treatments available out there. Treatments that were described were different types of medications, and social therapies.

Section 3: Finding help for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the neighborhood.

To be able to help my grandfather overcome this disorder, he needs help. I found three different locations that are near us that could help him. In detail I described what each clinic would do for him, and help his situation.

Section 4: Harris Today

Lastly to tie up my paper, I described the health condition of how my grandfather is doing now, and how he has overcome the bulk of his disorder. He still experiencing signs, but he has got so much better.

Section 1: Bang

"Bang! Boom!" Suddenly Harris, my grandfather woke up in a cold sweat, breathing hard and shaking imperceptibly . He had experienced yet another nightmare. The noise of a grenade going off in my grandfather's head was not a rare occasion, and waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat was becoming all too common. He has flashbacks every time he thinks about his time that he served in World War Two.

My grandpa was an infantry solider in The Battle of the Bulge. Infantry soldiers were also know as footmen: the men on the front lines. Harris Dyke was always in combat, and has many, many experiences that could traumatize anyone. The stories that he shared with me, were very incredible and intense. I cannot imagine what he saw and experienced. If anyone was to ask him what his most intense, vivid memory would be, he would share the time when he was in a ditch with a former solider in his squad and a grenade went off next to him. Harris was hit in the face by metal fragments from the grenade. This is also known as shrapnel.

"My face was all bloody, but I just kept going. I couldn't let something like that stop me" (Dyke).

Upon researching what my grandpa was experiencing I discovered that he suffers from a disorder that is common with veterans. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD. This is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened ("Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)"). Harris seems to always experience that grenade explosion over and over again. Living through the war once is enough, and thankfully through research, there are ways to help him overcome his visions and nightmares.

Section 2: Living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and ways to recover from it.

A person who has encountered a terrifying situation such as Harris’, or who has witnessed a loved one that may have been effected due to physical harm or a catastrophic event, are prone to Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In America, PTSD affects about 5.2 million people ("Statistics about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder"). Even though you will usually hear that this anxiety disorder occurs only in adults, it is prone to everyone, including children. Women have a higher percentage of having PTSD than men do, and there is some evidence this disorder is genetic, and can run through the family. Women have more incidents that involve rape, or a mugging than men do.

“Up to 80 percent of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder have a co morbid disorder, such as depression, anxiety disorder, substance abuse, summarization or panic disorder”(Lange). PTSD in war veterans, however, can be reasonably predicted by the public due to situations that they experience. In fact, war veterans themselves are known to have a higher percentage of PTSD than the average person. PTSD, however, can also result from a variety of other traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)").

Being easily startled, numb emotionally, have absolutely no interest with the things they once loved and enjoyed, finding it difficult to be affectionate, and gaining more aggressiveness to the point of violence are a few symptoms of people with PTSD. When anniversaries come along of when that original incident took place, they find it very difficult, and try to avoid anything that involves it. Incidents that involve rape, mugging or kidnapping may have a stronger affect on people because it was triggered deliberately at them. PTSD victim’s experience flashbacks, flashbacks are nightmares and disturbing thoughts that occur during the day that cause PTSD victims to repeatedly relive their trauma. Sounds, images, smells or feelings are flashbacks that are often triggered by everyday occurrences such as a back fire of a car. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again. Having a grenade explode next to you, and living to share it, is enough to make any one nervous and anxious. My grandfather experiences flashbacks through nightmares, and night sweats now. He had a hard time sharing his story with anyone.

Not everyone who experiences traumatic events will be prone to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. “Within 3 months the signs will start to show and it can emerge years later” (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)”). In order for them to be diagnosed with PTSD, it must last longer than a month, and the course of the illness may vary. Sometimes the condition can become chronic for people, but others may recover in six months or longer. When PTSD gets to the level of chronic stress disorder, it is no longer considered curable.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can affect more people than the person experiencing it. I know