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  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Alcohol Abuse Kelly Bragnalo, Jacqueline Hebert, Stephanie Kersta, Michael Thielmann

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**What is PTSD?** PTSD occurs after a traumatic event, typically one that in which one felt fear, helpless, and fearful for life.

   Informtion derived from http://health.yahoo.com/mentalhealth-living/alcohol-and-substance-abuse-in-ptsd/healthwise--ad1022spec.html
 * Recognized traumatic events are:**
 * War
 * Terrorist Attacks
 * Violent Crimes
 * Serious accidents
 * Natural Disasters
 * Symptoms of PTSD are:**
 * Feeling upset by things reminding one of the event
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Nightmares, vivid memories, flashbacks
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Avoidance of reminders of event
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Persistent feelings of fear, confusion, or anger
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Feel numb, loss of interest in activities one previously enjoyed
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Always feeling in danger
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Anxiety, jitters, grumpy
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Trouble sleeping
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Depression
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Panic attacks
 * Development of PTSD is dependant on:**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the intensity of the trauma
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">loss of loved one
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">proximity to event
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">strength of reaction
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">how much control was felt
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">how much help and support received afterwards

<span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: black;">In more technical terms, the DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic Criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (as cited by Barlow, Durand & Stewart, 2006, p.147) is as follows:

A. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present: <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> B. The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one (or more) of the following ways: <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by three (or more) of the following: <span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated by two (or more) of the following: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> E. Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in Criteria B, C, and D) is more than 1 month.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">recurrent distressing dreams of the event
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated)
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">feeling of detachment or estrangement from others
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings)
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">sense of a foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span)
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">difficulty falling or staying asleep
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">irritability or outbursts of anger
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">difficulty concentrating
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">hypervigilance
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">exaggerated startle response

F. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Home | Discussion Questions | PTSD and Alcohol Comorbidity | PTSD Interactive Tools | PTSD Treatment Models | PTSD, Alcohol, and 9-11 | PTSD, Alcohol, and Near-Death Experiences | PTSD, Alcohol, and Trauma | PTSD, Alcohol, and War | References