Trident University

Sean Frederick

Module 2: SLP

PSY101: Introduction to Psychology

December 14, 2020

 Introduction

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic mental condition that occurs in

individuals who underwent traumatic events. Trauma refers to an event that causes severe

distress or disturbance in an individual such as near-death experiences, sexual violence, and/or

serious injury (Lewis et al., 2019). Other events that can cause trauma are interpersonal violence,

naturally-occurring disasters, and combat (Yehuda et al., 2015). People who are affected by this

condition exhibit debilitating symptoms together with a higher risk of developing other

psychiatric conditions. Studies estimate that about 3% of the population experience PTSD at any

point in their life with a lifetime prevalence of approximately 1.9% to 8.8% (Bisson et al., 2015).

In light of the advancing studies in the field of psychology and the clamor for mental health

awareness, treatment for this condition is becoming more widely available. Through proper and

sufficient treatment, the severity of symptoms of PTSD can be significantly reduced.

The constantly expanding research on PTSD provides scientifically-backed and relevant

data that allows us to better understand and address the condition. The purpose of this paper is to

present information on PTSD, the psychological symptoms related to it, its diagnosis, and the

treatment available today.

References

Bisson, J., Cosgrove, S., Lewis, C., & Robert, N. (2015). Post-traumatic stress disorder. BMJ:

British Medical Journal(351).

Lewis, S., Arseneault, L., Caspi, A., Fisher, H., Matthews, T., Moffitt, T., . . . Danese, A. (2019).

The epidemiology of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in a representative cohort

of young people in England and Wales. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6, 247-256.

Yehuda, R., Hoge, C., McFarlane, A., Vermetten, E., Lanius, R., & Nievergelt, C. et al. (2015).

Post-traumatic stress disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 1(1). doi:

10.1038/nrdp.2015.57