The client is a forty-year-old Caucasian male. He appeared well groomed with moderate eye contact. The client presented with a depressed mood as evidenced by his flat voice, downward gaze, and slumped seated position. The client displayed coherent speech and a logical thought process. The client was oriented to people, the date, and the location. The Combat Exposure Scale (CES) was conducted in a private study room in a public library. The setting was quiet and provided privacy. The setting did not require extensive travel for the client. The client is a retired Army Sargent with twenty-two years of experience in the military. The client served in two deployments to overseas “war-zones”. The client is currently retired and has received one …show more content…
The Trauma Screening Questionnaire (TSQ) asks ten yes/no questions concerning an individual’s reactions to a traumatic event. The questions are specific to the symptoms the client has experienced at least twice in the past week. The client indicted experiencing upsetting thoughts and dreams about the event, feeling as though the event is happening again, feeling upset by reminders of the event, being jumpy or startled by something unexpected, and a heightened awareness of potential danger. The client reported that the frequency of these symptoms have decreased since he started therapy at the private agency. The Life Events Checklist asks the client to indicate if they have experienced, seen, heard about, not sure, or never experienced a list of seventeen life events. The client identified that eleven of the items had happened directly to him. The eleven events …show more content…
For question one, the client reported experiencing dangerous patrol duty fifty-one or more times, which is a five on the scale. On questions two, the client indicated he experienced enemy fire for seven or more months, which is a five on the scale. Questions two indicated that the client has been surround by the enemy three to twelve times, which is a three on the scale. On questions four, the client indicated that one to twenty-five percent of the soldiers in his unit were killed in action, missing in action, or wounded, which is a two on the scale. For questions five, the client reported firing fifty-one or more rounds of ammunition at the enemy, which is a five on the scale. Question six indicated that the client witnessed thirteen to fifty individuals hit by incoming out outgoing rounds of ammunition, which is a four on the scale. Lastly, question seven indicates that the client was in danger of being injured of killed three to twelve times, which is a three on the scale. Specific directions are given to score each response to the seven questions. This assessment would not be a good pre-post treatment survey, as it does not measure symptomology. Instead it measures the number of times the client experienced a combat related event. The client has several strengths. He is currently receiving services at a private agency. He reports a decrease in his “flashbacks” since starting the therapy. The client is part of a
Discuss the effects of war on the soldier. Are the effects of war on the soldier worthwhile? If so, in what capacity? If not,
Throughout the history of American warfare there have been many different names for PTSD. Dating back to the civil war when this mental illness was called soldier’s heart, the First World War called it shell-shock, and the Second World War, battle fatigue; soldiers have been experiencing the trauma and psychological issues that come along with the mental illness of PTSD(cite Take heart; Post-traumatic stress disorder). Psychological deterioration was noted in men of combat as early as 490 B.C. and has since become the leading cause of death for U.S veterans. It was not until 1980 that PTSD was recognized as a true disorder with its own specific symptoms, and it was at this time that is was deemed diagnosable and was added to the American Psychiatric
army’s view on PTSD also has a silencing influence on soldiers. The topic of PTSD is silence. PTSD is viewed as weakness as well as a dishonor (Sethnne). Due to the stigma, soldiers who have PTSD are in fear of losing their job because they are seen as unqualified. As soldiers who suffer from PTSD recall, “I never wanted to talk about my PTSD, as others might have thought of me as being “unstable,” “not cut out for the job”, or something similar, (Wizelmen 125).”
One of my career goals, is to with Veterans who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Due to combat experience in the Army, I am aware that there are many Veterans who have PTSD and sometimes it may go undiagnosed. Soldiers in the military are taught to keep their vulnerabilities internalized because if they express their vulnerabilities they may appear to be weak. This issue impacts soldier’s mental health in a major way. When soldiers get out of the military, they be unaware that they exhibit the symptoms of PTSD.
Exposure therapy following trauma has a long clinical history, and recent research generally supports the efficacy of various forms of exposure treatments for PTSD. Additional research is needed to assess the real-world effectiveness of exposure-based treatments in diverse trauma-affected populations. Facing painful memories is an intensive process, and exposure treatment must be grounded in evidence-based approaches to facilitate proper use of these powerful
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”, Dr. Martin Luther King. Many soldiers face dangerous life threatening situations everyday overseas to keep our nation safe at home. Sadly, Many veterans who fought in combat suffer from PTSD, due to the dramatic events they witnessed and lived through. When, those same soldiers come back home and they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, making normal life that they once lived before not so normal anymore. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event, that is either experienced or witnessed.
A, B, C, D, E and F for PTSD; exposure to death; witnessing a traumatic event of a family member/friend; has negative beliefs about him/other, and the world; persistent
Both of these readings highlight the best practices to use when working with those who have experience trauma, but in different populations. The first article by Bath looks at the idea of the three pillars: safety, connection, and managing emotions. The second is more of a research study examining individuals in homeless shelters, which is trauma in and of itself, and often have other psychological problems, as well. When working with any population that has experienced significant traumatic events, or any population for that matter, Trauma-Informed Care should be implemented in order to ensure all individuals are comfortable and receptive to assistance. One of the main similarities between the suggested responses to these demographics is the emphasis on establishing safety.
Until the introduction of ASD to the DSM-V, the reactions victims experienced were viewed as adjustment disorders. Once ASD was recognized, the diagnosis helped professionals establish which victims of trauma were at an elevated risk for PTSD. Because ASD is a relatively new diagnosis, research on the disorder is in the early stages. Studies of ASD have utilized a variety of measurement tools with varying degrees of reliability and validity. The following rates should be interpreted with some caution, and it is possible that rates will change as measures for ASD become more uniform among
The client is expressing that he has numerous of symptoms and depression seems to be one of them. He has Severe Major Depressive Disorder
How many people commit suicide in the U.S. each year, the number is staggering, of the 323 million people living in the U.S. about 42 thousand of them have taken their own lives. Those that have taken their lives couldn’t stand the suffering they felt. A lot of people may not know, but suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. not to mention all across the world in other countries. Just within the U.S. about 117 people commit suicide each day, most of which are middle age white males. Almost every year the U.S. loses billions of dollars because of suicide, that’s about 83 million dollars a month.
Since 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measures quality of life in various research and program planning activities. They look at four core questions known as “Healthy Days Measures,” that are useful for determining the health-related quality of a patient’s life following a medial event. In contrast, a number of studies cited below found other instruments more useful than the CDC measure. Information on the CDC measure helped establish my finding that measuring quality of life for trauma patients following trauma center discharge is needed.
PTSD in the Military Posttraumatic stress disorder, or commonly known as PTSD, is a mental health disorder that is triggered by a traumatic event in a person’s life. It is the most prevalent of stress disorders, branching from its predecessor acute stress disorder, PTSD is categorized by a month or more of traumatic event flashbacks, social avoidance, and various debilitating physical symptoms. Posttraumatic stress disorder has a long history with the military, dating all the way back to early American military views, and has come a long way in terms of effective treatment, such as recognizing its biological factors. Military History of PTSD PTSD and the Mitlitary The American military has had a long history with the symptoms associated with
(P9) Unfortunately this was the standing policy during the violent peak of the Vietnam War; so under the medical and military community, psychological stress disorders were not considered, treated, or compensated for. However upon the return on Vietnam Veterans, many experienced severe psychological effects and admittedly “PTSD was not taking seriously until the 1980’s when many veterans were complaining of similar symptoms.” (P5) In addition “A small but militant group of Vietnam veterans clamored for the introduction of a diagnosis that would recognize the potential consequences of experiencing the stress of combat…” (P9) “In the post-Vietnam period, it became clear that many soldiers were suffering severe psychological consequences as a result of their traumatic exposure, yet psychiatrists
Mental illness in soldiers has been slowly increasing for several years. This is apparent from the results of many studies. In March 2007, a study was conducted measuring the presence of mental illness