Halle P's List: Description of PTSD

• The Vietnam War was a war fought between 1964 and 1975 on the ground in South Vietnam and bordering areas of Cambodia and Laos, and in bombing runs over North Vietnam.
• Fighting on one side was a coalition of forces including the United States, the Republic of Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.
• Fighting on the other side was a coalition of forces including the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the National Liberation Front, a communist-led South Vietnamese guerrilla movement.
• The war was part of a larger regional conflict involving the neighboring countries of Cambodia and Laos, known as the Second Indochina War.
• known as the American War
• In Vietnam, this conflict is
• "War Against the Americans and to Save the Nation").
• In many ways the Vietnam War was a direct successor to the French Indochina War,
• when the French fought to maintain control of their colony in Indochina against an independence movement led by Communist Party leader Ho Chi Minh.
• On January 15, 1973 President Nixon ordered a suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam which was later followed by the unilateral withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam. The Paris Peace Accords were later signed on January 27, 1973 which officially ended US involvement in the Vietnam conflict.
• In early 1975 the North invaded the South and quickly consolidated the country under its control
• North Vietnam united North and South Vietnam on July 2, 1976 to form the "Socialist Republic of Vietnam".
• Communist rule continues in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the present day.

11 more annotations...

• about 5.2 million people -- suffer from PTSD during the course of a year, and an estimated 7.8 million Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives.
• Women are more likely to develop PTSD than are men. This may be due to the fact that women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence, abuse, and rape.
• there are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose PTSD
• a psychiatrist or psychologist, mental health professionals who are specially trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses.
• interview and assessment tools to evaluate a person for an anxiety disorder.
• symptoms of PTSD that last for more than one month.

• Treatment for PTSD may involve psychotherapy (a type of counseling), medication, or both.

   

     
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

  • Research these later! Remember VA intervention (they could be connected
  Add Sticky Note
• tricyclic antidepressants
• Tranquilizers
• mood stabilizers
• neuroleptics
• A variety of psychotherapy approaches are used to treat people with PTSD, including:
• Cognitive-behavior therapy, which involves learning to recognize and change thought patterns that lead to troublesome emotions, feelings, and behavior.
• the person re-live the traumatic experience,
• Exposure therapy
• helps the person confront the fear and
• gradually become more comfortable with situations that are frightening
• examine personal values and the emotional conflicts caused by the traumatic event.
• Psychodynamic therapy
• Family therapy
• allowing the person to share thoughts, fears, and feelings with other people who have experienced traumatic events.
• Group therapy
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

  • Research! def of alleviate?

22 more annotations...

• or battle
• once called shell shock

  • IMPORTANT! use to research. history of the disease is important
  Add Sticky Note
• syndrome
• PTSD is a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness, or horror, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, an accident, war, or natural disaster.
• feelings continue and even increase, becoming so strong that they keep the person from living a normal life.
• cannot function as well as before the event occurred.
• The severity and duration of the illness vary.
• Re-living
• Avoiding
• Increased arousal
• may also suffer physical symptoms, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension
• Young children with PTSD may suffer from delayed development
• the type of help and support a person receives from friends, family members and professionals following the trauma may influence the development of PTSD or the severity of symptoms.

11 more annotations...