PTSD, Physicalism, Madness, Lobotomy & ECT Psychology Research

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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The psychological effects of traumatic events such as terror, disasters, and wars have been known to have adverse effects on individuals. Psychological disorders refer to what most people view as mental disorders. Among them include anxiety disorders and stress-related disorders such as PTSD. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is among the main psychological disorders associated with trauma. It is common when a person has been exposed to extremely traumatic or terrifying events (Qi and Shalev). The affected person relives the traumatic events through flashbacks, intrusive memories or nightmares. Examples of traumatic events include both natural and unnatural disasters, accidents, military combat, and violent personal assaults. Military activities and PTSD are closely linked. During wartime, the soldiers are exposed to many traumatic events, which are very stressful. Due to the exposure to such events, cases of PTSD among soldiers who have been in war are common (Smith, Robinson, and Segal). Almost everyone has witnessed or experienced a very upsetting or a traumatic event in their lives. However, the majority of the people are able to recover from the experience without experiencing further effects. For those that are seriously affected, they may experience anxiety, distress or depression for a very long time.
PTSD cases have been on the rise in the USA, creating a huge burden to the health costs, with an annual estimation of $42.3 billion (PTSD United, Inc). The condition affects approximately 7.7 million adults annually, while it is estimated that approximately 6.8% of the entire American population suffer from PTSD at some point in their life. Women are almost two times more likely to suffer from the condition as compared to men, with the prevalence at 9.7% and 3.6%, respectively (PTSD United, Inc). The main events associated with PTSD in men include combat exposure, rape, and childhood violence, while in women, sexual and rape cases, physical touches and abuse are regarded as the main traumatic events.
Types of PTSD
There are five categories of PTSD types that include normal stress response, acute stress disorder, comorbid, uncomplicated, and complex PTSD (National Center for PTSD). Almost all people experience stress at a certain point in their life. A normal stress response is common even before an individual develops PTSD, and does not necessarily lead to the development of PTSD. It is common when an individual relieves a single traumatic experience. In most cases, the individuals recover within weeks without experiencing serious effects (National Center for PTSD). Acute stress disorder occurs when a person experiences a life-threatening event such as a sudden loss of a loved one, the risk of death or a catastrophic natural disaster. The key difference with the normal stress disorder is that acute stress disorder eventually develops to PTSD if left untreated. This category is characterized by severe insomnia, mental confusion, and distractions in one’s daily activities such as relationship and work activities (National Center for PTSD). The third category is uncomplicated PTSD, which is as a result of a single major traumatic event. It is ...