Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The War Within

Essay by beemerdad1University, Bachelor'sA+, June 2005

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

I keep replaying the event in my head over and over again. The pain from these visions are intense. I am scared to fall asleep, because the nightmares are worse than the visions. I struggle through the night only to get to the next day. My fears are still here. It is hard to deal with people. I can't have friends. I get through the day avoiding most people, including my family. Anger is tearing me up inside and my worst fear is that I will hurt someone, physically or emotionally abuse. This is a personal account of someone suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. They are some of the effects that PTSD sufferers go through. In order to understand what PTSD is we will need to take a look at the Definition, Myths and Facts, Causes, Symptoms, Types and Treatments of this emotional disorder.

You can feel the pain bubbling to the top in its definition. One definition of PTSD is a natural emotional reaction to a deeply shocking and disturbing experience. It is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation. I had what I felt was a normal reaction to an abnormal situation in believing some of common myths about PTSD.

Myths are misguiding and usually generate from rumors. There were many rumors of what happened to Vietnam veterans coming out of the war. The main myth that most people tend to look upon is that it only affects war veterans. I think this is prevalent due to the many cases of PTSD coming out of the Vietnam and Korean wars. They were kids fighting a war thousands of miles away, a war that produced extreme casualties. The predominant factor in PTSD cases coming out of Vietnam was the witnessing of deaths.