Running Head: POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER 1

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental condition that develops in some

people especially among veterans who have been shocked, scared and encountered risky

situations. The experienced person in the department of defence encounter terrifying scenes

during in the battle field which lead to them developing different symptoms such as

flashbacks, nightmares or even severe anxiety. The encounter of such frightening situations

causes the individuals to have suicidal feelings as the thoughts about the terrifying events are

usually recurrent and seem to be stuck with the individuals for quite some time. PTSD

requires incorporation of psychodynamic therapy to help in the recovery of the victims. The

therapy aims at management of the symptoms with an objective of allowing the individuals to

think beyond the traumatic experience and regain control of their life. The effects of PTSD

maybe long-lasting or critical based on the level of trauma an individual has encountered.

There is need for a mechanism or method of treating both short and long-term effects of

PTSD to enhance the well-being and help the affected individuals regain control of life and

manage the symptoms such as the suicidal thoughts.

Development of PSTD

PTSD is triggered by traumatic events which leads to people failing or having

difficulty with adjusting and coping of good self-care. The events such as combat for military

individuals subject them to frightening conceptions of war which leads to interference of their

day-to-day functioning. The happening of the succeeding events causes the individuals to

develop signs of PTSD which include uncontrollable thoughts, flashbacks, severe anxiety and

even suicidal behavior (Weathers et al., 2018). The development of the mental condition is

caused by avoidance, intrusive memories, changes in physical and emotional reactions,

negative changes in thinking and mood, and development of suicidal thoughts after the

individual has been exposed to an event leading to the suffering of guilt. As a result, the
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individuals develop a retaliatory nature and their thoughts intensify the symptoms which may

prompt to failure on overcoming memories of the person's assault leading to the development

of suicidal thoughts. When suicidal thoughts are not controlled, the PTSD victim may exhibit

a suicidal behavior. The irrepressible and unbearable suicidal thoughts endanger the life of

PTSD patients, thus, may have fatal consequences. There can also be the development of an

irritated explosion and the tense feeling which exposes the patient to precipitate a situation,

change behavior and create an effective state (Wiederhold & IOS Press, 2013). The patients

get edgy, feel relinquished and develop self-hatred causing the improvement of self-

destructive musings. The suicide proceedings by a time limit making an emergency that

prompts the experience of the side effects of PTSD.

Tools for PTSD Diagnosis

PTSD diagnosis requires careful assessment using an evidence-based practice that

helps in determining treatment options and gauging the progress. There are a variety of

instruments that follow a systematic review which undergirds the guideline

recommendations. Each tool has sign of reliability and includes both interview and self-report

measures. For the PTSD conditions, a Clinician-Administered Scale for DSM-5 is used to do

screening, diagnosis, and track treatment outcomes of the condition. The DSM-5 is a thirty-

item structured interview developed by the staff at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

National Center for PTSD. The tool is useful in making a diagnosis, determining lifetime

diagnosis and assessing the symptoms presented by the condition over the previous week.

The DSM-5 tool is used by clinicians and it is administered in 45-60 minutes. The other

diagnostic tool used is PTSD Symptom Scale Interview (PSS-1 and PSS-1-5) which the

respondents provide information on a single traumatic event that causes the most current

distress (Watkins, Sprang, & Rothbaum, 2018).

DSM-5 tool is reliable and valid because according to American Psychiatric

Association. (2013), the tool has an increased requirement to what is eligible as a traumatic

event and conceptualizes on the even as exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury

or sexual violation, learning of the event from a family member or repeated exposure to

traumatizing events. DSM-5 internalizes and externalizes empirical frameworks of impulsive

and disruptive conduct which therefore helps in explaining the spectrum of PTSD (American

Psychiatric Association (2013)

Psychological Tests for PTSD Diagnosis

1. California Verbal Learning Test

California verbal learning test represents an approach to clinical psychology by which

the cognitive science memory of an individual is assessed. The test is useful for PTSD

diagnosis as it helps in a comprehensive and detailed assessment of learning and memory for

the individuals (Watkins, Sprang, & Rothbaum, 2018). The diagnosis is based upon the

findings by which the victims of PTSD have verbal memory impairment in executive control

and show symptoms of depression and general distress hence not reliable.

2. Wisconsin Card Sort

The test is part of a neuropsychological test that measures cardiovascular active and

skin conductance. PTSD symptoms related to executive impairments of cardiovascular

activity and skin conductance (Wiederhold & IOS Press, 2013). As a result, the test is based

on the cognitive expression of an individual hence the determination of mental health of

individuals.

Personality Assessment for Diagnosis

Personality assessment determines the proficiency of interpreting an individual's

personality traits and style that refine in clinical diagnoses, structure, and information of

psychological intervention and behavioral prediction of an individual (Wiederhold & IOS

Press, 2013). The personality assessment for diagnosis is therefore useful for PTSD diagnosis

as the elements of psychometric theory on issues of reliability and validity as theories of

intelligence and human cognition are used for scoring. Personality assessment such use of the

physiological subscale of the Depression scale (DEP-P) and Traumatic Stress subscale of the

Anxiety-Related helps in provision of additional validity of evidence which supports clinical

symptoms of PTSD (Watkins, Sprang and Rothbaum, 2018). Personality assessment

therefore is essential for diagnosis of PTSD.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental

disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub.

Watkins, L. E., Sprang, K. R., & Rothbaum, B. (2018). Treating PTSD: A review of

evidence-based psychotherapy interventions. Frontiers in Behavioral

Neuroscience, 12, 258.

Weathers, F. W., Bovin, M. J., Lee, D. J., Sloan, D. M., Schnurr, P. P., Kaloupek, D. G., &

Marx, B. P. (2018). The clinician-administered PTSD scale for DSM–5 (CAPS-5):

Development and initial psychometric evaluation in military veterans. Psychological

Assessment, 30(3), 383.

Wiederhold, B. K., & IOS Press. (2013). New tools to enhance posttraumatic stress disorder

diagnosis and treatment: Invisible wounds of war. Amsterdam: IOS Press