The effect of PTSD can be very extensive. PTSD is a debilitating disorder, and its symptoms have a negative impact on a numerous areas of everyday life. In particular, PTSD negatively affects a person's mental health, physical health, work, and relationships. Post-traumatic is more then merely a stress disorder, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that a person may develop after experiencing extreme or overwhelming traumatic events. More specifically, the trauma is more overwhelmingly powerful when they witnesses and event in which another person may have been killed, seriously injured or threatened.
A victim of rape (primary victimisation), for example, may be subjected to victim blaming and ostracism as the result of the attack; those who become disabled (primary victimisation) may be subjected to non-accommodation, medicalization, and segregation; and those who develop mental disorder (primary victimisation) may be subject to institutionalisation, that in each case may be far more victimising to these individuals and limiting of their life opportunity than the primary victimising stigmatic condition itself, and are thus called secondary victimisation. The disregards of victims’ needs following a crime against them can sometimes be so traumatic that it is called the “second rape” (in the case of rape) or “second assault”. Victims will feel let down and isolated by the criminal justice body, the medical body and any other institution that is meant to help them, but instead causes the victim in certain cases to start believing that it was in fact their fault or that they had a hand in causing the crime. During the court process, secondary victimisation takes place at various levels. Examples of this are where the victim is not afforded private waiting or report-taking facilities.
It is impossible to predict who will develop post traumatic stress disorder in response to trauma, for there are certain risk factors that increase vulnerability. The risk factors revolve around the nature of the traumatic event itself. Traumatic events are more likely to cause PTSD when they involve a severe threat to your life or safety. The more extreme and prolonged the threat, the greater risk of developing post traumatic stress disorder in result. Symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder fall into three main categories: intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Armed Forces Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) according to the American Psychiatric Association is a behavioral disorder that can occur following a psychologically distressing event that is outside the range of usual human experience and is usually experienced with intense fear, terror and helplessness. Cases of PTSD in the past was said to only happen in rape victims, children of abuse, wives who have been beaten , firefighters and police officers who had experienced a traumatic event. PTSD is a real psychological issue that affects the mental, physical and emotional persona of everyone who has experienced a traumatic event. This includes our Military personnel who experience traumatic events daily.
2) Effects on rescue workers A condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can leave a rescue worker physically and mentally ill. This results in leaving them unhealthy and unfit which affects their job performance. The emergency services witness all kinds of injuries to victims such as bad burns or lose limbs of people, people dyeing at the scene, babies or children underneath rubble and many more. And when responding to the major incident it is their role and priority to deal with any causality that are harmed or are afflicted by the incident leaving them psychologically stressed. 3) Effects on communities Loss of law and order During or after a major incident loss of law and order can arise where the uniformed public service uses most of their human resources and were normal routines are disturbed.
Individuals with a history of being sexually abused, including those who go on to develop dissociative identity disorder, are vulnerable to abusing alcohol as a negative way of coping with their victimization. People with DID are also at risk for attempting suicide more than once. Violent behavior has a high level of association with dissociation as well. Other debilitating outcomes of DID, like that of other severe chronic mental illnesses, include inability to obtain and maintain employment, poor relationships with others, and therefore overall lower productivity and quality of life. Dissociative Identity Disorder At A Glance * Dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly called multiple personality disorder, is an illness that is characterized by the presence of at least two clear personality states, which may have different reactions, emotions, and body functioning.
There is no person who is immune to the effects of trauma. Trauma impacts on the individual, families, and societies by disrupting developments that are healthy, severely affecting relationships, and this contributes to mental health issues which includes domestic violence, substance abuse, and child abuse. The price is paid by everyone whenever a community creates multi-generations of individuals with untreated trauma by loss of wages, an increase in crime, and threat to the families’ stability. Becoming ‘trauma-informed’ basically means recognizing the fact that people normally have a lot of different kinds of trauma in their lives. Individuals who have been traumatized require support and understanding from the ones around them.
Secondary victimisation is also sometimes referred to as secondary trauma. Victims of crime rely on the assistance of various institutions and services within the community following the primary trauma or event. The victims of crime often receive negative reactions and are sometimes denied help and this creates a secondary trauma where psychologically and emotionally the victim feels powerless, blamed and made to feel responsible for what has happened to them and this at a time when they are at their most vulnerable, psychologically traumatised and, sometimes, even in physical pain due to
Violence and abuse is defined as a physical or mental traumatic event that can affect you through out any period of your life. There are different types of abuse that can lead to PTSD, such as Child Abuse, Men and Sexual Trauma, Sexual Assault against Females and Domestic Violence. Going through these types of event can develop reactions later in life (Smith & Segal, 2014). Natural Disasters and Terrorist Attack is another type of trauma that can be the cause of PTSD. Examples of these are 9/11, Hurricanes, and Floods.
The therapeutic relationship between me as an emerging counsellor and a client who is grieving can only be healthy when I possess a keen level of awareness about my personal experiences with grief and loss. It is inevitable that I will face and experience more losses as I move through life as change and loss are part of the pattern of human existence. How these losses will impact on me I cannot answer for sure! While I am fortunate enough to know and understand many of the theories of grief and loss I firmly believe the essence of my work lies in my humanity. I cannot give meaning to a client’s grief, but I can facilitate the formation of a therapeutic relationship that enables a client to find the meaning for them.