POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: A PSYCHOSOCIAL LOOK AT PTSD COLE STUERKE

NATURE OF THE DISORDER PTSD occurs most often following traumatic events in an individual’s life Sarafino & Smith state “Experiencing an extremely severe stressor that creates intense fear and horror leads to this psychiatric condition” (Sarafino & Smith, 2011). Symptoms can be physical, social, and mental

FACTORS AFFECTING PTSD Stress Reminders: - Seeing people involved - Verbal cues - Seeing pictures/videos of event

TREATMENT “Research suggests that individuals with PTSD often experience adverse mental and physical health outcomes, highlighting the necessity of developing and empirically examining treatment approaches for PTSD” (Walter et al., 2011). “Studies have shown that behavior modification therapy with behavioral and cognitive methods can prevent this disorder after a trauma and help people overcome it if it develops” (Sarafino & Smith, 2011). Treatment Options - Cognitive Processing Therapy - Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Social support is KEY

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE Never been personally diagnosed, but have seen symptoms first hand Peer struggled on a daily basis with both emotional and social symptoms Symptoms can truly be life-changing, can be dangerous if not controlled

OVERVIEW PTSD is caused by a traumatic event experienced in an individual’s life Event may be life-threatening; could be natural disaster, car accident, war-related, etc. Symptoms can be debilitating, may be physical, social, psychological Treatment can be useful, includes behavioral modification, cognitive therapy, etc.