This a project for a high school AP Psychology course. This is a fictionalized account of having a psychological ailment. For questions about this blog project or its content please email the teacher, Laura Astorian: laura.astorian@cobbk12.org

1. POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS
DISORDER
Barry B. Benson
This a project for a high school AP Psychology course. This is a fictionalized account of having a
psychological ailment. For questions about this blog project or its content please email the teacher,
Laura Astorian: laura.astorian@cobbk12.org

2. WHAT IS IT?
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Anxiety disorder
Caused by a traumatic event or experience
Triggered by stimuli similar to the traumatic incident
Can impair day to day activities
Causes anxiety, flashbacks, strong emotions

3. WHAT CAN CAUSE IT?
War Events
Personal Assault
Natural Disasters
Accidents
Life-threatening illness
Abuse during childhood

4. HOW DOES THE
CAUSE LEAD TO
THE EFFECT?
The original event stays in
your brain as a memory
When a similar stimulus is
present, it activates the
memory
The memory is reimagined
possibly, in the form of a
flashback

5. WHAT ARE
THE
EFFECTS?
Thoughts relating to the
traumatic experience
Nightmares
Vivid flashbacks
Lack of sleep
Disturbances throughout
the day
Inability to perform day to
day activities

6. HOW IS THE
BRAIN
AFFECTED?
Can increase the stress
response
Decreased verbal memory
Gaps in memory of own
life
Decrease in branching of
neurons
Changes in
norepinephrine levels

7. STATISTICS
7.7 million Americans older than 18 have PTSD
67% of people exposed to violence have developed PTSD
7% of Americans will develop PTSD
Fewer number of children develop this disorder in their young ages
due to lack of traumatic experiences for most children
57.4% of people with PTSD are receiving treatment

8. STATISTICS
(CON.)
245 soldiers committed
suicide due to PTSD in 2009
11-20 percent of veterans
returning from the Afghanistan
and Iraq war have PTSD
Only half of the general
population with PTSD will seek
medical attention

9. WHAT ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
PTSD?
Acute- the symptoms are present for less than three months
Chronic- the symptoms are present for three months or longer
Delayed Onset- the symptoms arise six months or more after the
traumatic incident

10. PSYCHOLOGIST FINDINGS
Many psychologists believe that PTSD is
over diagnosed due to the widening
interpretation of trauma
Most veterans and political dissidents who
have survived torture have not later
exhibited PTSD
Debriefing survivors immediately after
trauma has shown negative effects on the
individual
The number of women with PTSD is higher
due to higher chances of sexual assault in
their life

11. PSYCHOLOGIST FINDINGS (CON.)
Peter Suedfeld
 Documented the resilience of Holocaust survivors
-Most lived successful lives
 The success of Asians who escaped war and moved to America made Suedfeld
believe that “What doesn’t kill you may reveal to you just how strong you really are.”
Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun
 Suffering can lead to post-traumatic growth
 Struggling experiences lead to an increased appreciation for life
-This idea is familiar to religious beliefs

12. TREATMENT
OPTIONS
Antidepressants treat
some symptoms including
numbness, worry, and
possible depression
Antidepressants can not
help with the disorder
itself
Selective Serotonin
Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI)
can elevate mood
Therapy is the main
solution to try to help and
fix the anxiety disorder

13. My problems began after I
finished fighting in
Afghanistan. We were under
constant pressure to keep the
citizens back in the U.S.A safe.
I was on the front line for most
of my time in Afghanistan,
while watching gunshots hit
the soldiers in my unit. I still
remember those moments
vividly although I try to forget
them.

14. When I hear a loud noise, it makes me
feel as if I am back at war. My first
reaction is to take cover from the
possibility of a bombing. We were taught
since day one how to react to a threat of
bombs. This is why I can’t go anywhere
alone.

15. The few days that I get sleep are full of
nightmares. My nightmares are about
being alone in an unknown country.
Sometimes I wake up confused and
disoriented. Most of the time I can’t get to
sleep anyways.

16. Now that I am retired, I don’t
usually leave the house. When
I do leave the house, I always
take someone with me just in
case I have a vivid flashback in
the middle of doing
something. I prefer someone
to be with me because this
happens very often. After the
flashbacks, I am usually
disoriented and dizzy. This is
why I can’t drive.

17. I began getting depressive
symptoms soon after I
returned from Afghanistan. My
doctor did not believe that I
had PTSD because the other
symptoms weren’t as obvious.
He gave me antidepressants
for my symptoms but I told
him about my lack of sleep,
nightmares, dizziness, and
flashbacks and then he
diagnosed me with PTSD.

18. My disorder tends to affect me the most
when I am alone and have lots of free
time. This is when I begin to think of the
war. The flashbacks usually start when I
think about my past and this has
negative effects on me. I can’t stop
thinking about it unless someone
distracts me and sometimes I get very
sad from thinking about it. Then I have
to take my antidepressants.

19. I started therapy a couple of
days ago. It has been slightly
helpful. It has been easier with
the antidepressants my doctor
gave me. They don’t treat my
disorder but they treat my
symptoms. Having a therapist
also helps because it helps me
talk to someone who really
understands what I’m going
through.

20. When a stimulus reminds me of a war, I become
hyperaware of my surroundings. Then after the
stimulus settles in, I begin to get confused. My
hyperawareness is caused by the high level of
attention needed while fighting on the front lines.
My doctor believes that I begin to get confused
because I am expecting an event to occur.