PTSD
Monique Shaw

What is PTSD?
• PTSD, or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a life­threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. • PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or other anxiety disorders.

People Who Suffer From PTSD
• People who suffer from PTSD

often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life.

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People with PTSD experience three different kinds of symptoms. The first set of symptoms involves reliving the trauma in some way such as becoming upset when confronted with a traumatic reminder or thinking about the trauma when you are trying to do something else. The second set of symptoms involves either staying away from places or people that remind you of the trauma, isolating from other people, or feeling numb. The third set of symptoms includes things such as feeling on guard, irritable, or startling easily.

Who Does PTSD Affect
•PTSD affects about 7.7 million American adults.
•PTSD can occur at any age.
•Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men, and there is some evidence that the potential for the disorder may run in families.

The Social Problem
This social problem exists because the government does little to actually help soldiers with PTSD, they are typically just sent home and left to deal with the effects of PTSD. Not enough programs and funds are available for them to get the help they need.
The government does not want to be burdened with the soldiers with
PTSD as this isn’t a priority for what to do with the money spent funding the war on terrorism.

My Focus on Who PTSD Affects

Money Spending
Please turn to page 295 in your books…….Let me know what you think…….

Veterans Statistics for PTSD
As of September 2014, there are about 2.7 million American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (compared to
2.6 million Vietnam veterans who fought in Vietnam; there are 8.2 million "Vietnam Era Veterans" (personnel who served anywhere during any time of the Vietnam War)
•According to RAND, at least 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD and/or Depression. (Military counselors
I have interviewed state that, in their opinion, the percentage of veterans with PTSD is much higher; the number climbs higher when combined with TBI.)

VETS Suffering From PTSD
•Members of the military exposed to

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that PTSD afflicts:

war/combat and other groups at high risk for trauma exposure are at risk for developing PTSD .
•Almost 31 percent of Vietnam veterans
•Among veterans returning from the current •As many as 10 percent of Gulf War (Desert wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, PTSD and mild Storm) veterans to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) are •11 percent of veterans of the war in often linked and their symptoms may
Afghanistan
overlap. Blast waves from explosions can
•20 percent of Iraqi war veterans cause TBI, rattling the brain inside the skull.

Structural Functionalism Theory
Structural Functional Theory­ the system evolves due to some need that must be met, people create social structures to meet these needs and balance society; society is not broken, it just needs a tune up. Government funded institutions exist to assist with PTSD, such as Veterans’ Affairs Services and behavioral centers. These systems have their flaws as all do, but at least they exist.

Social Conflict Theory
Social Control Theory­ social problems emerge due to the continued conflict between two groups. These groups are the Vets vs. Government. The government uses soldiers to fight their battles, which are oftentimes based on