A Brief Note On Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - 1677 Words

Mariela Rangel Prof. L. Poulton English 1301 P50 8 December 2015 PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition caused by experiencing or seeing a terrifying event. It has been known to affect mostly war veterans but has also affected people who are not veterans. Rape victims and people who have suffered severe abuse have also been diagnosed with PTSD. In most cases, veterans have a higher percentage than others. David J. Morris, a Marines veteran, and the author of The Evil Hours, states that over the past four decades, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has permeated every corner of our culture. Morris states a species of pain that that went unnamed for most of human history, PTSD is now the fourth most common psychiatric†¦show more content†¦She adds that with PTSD, changes that are part of the â€Å"flight of fight† response can persist long after the danger has passed (Hansel 3). Morris states that PTSD is often thought of as being a syndrome of remembering things too well. He adds that â€Å"the ones who ‘forget,’ they suffer later† (Morris 35). Victor Monjaraz, a former Marine, says that he felt he could handle PTSD on his own, but his emotions did not allow him to. His wife had to convince him to visit a psychologist at the VA and see what the doctor had to say. Monjaraz already felt that he had PTSD before the visit. He was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Monjaraz experienced night terrors and road rage. He was easily irritated and could not be in crowded spaces. The disease also took a toll on his marriage and says, â€Å"The Marines taught me to turn off my emotions but didn’t teach me how to turn them back on† (Monjaraz). Morris states that the worst things in the world enter the brain in an instant, though it may take the rest of someone’s life to understand what they saw (Morris 45). Monjaraz says that he saw brutal things and did not get affected by it until the night time came around. He cried in his sleep, made groaning noises, mumbled things and had night sweats (Monjaraz). Morris states that fundamentally, we do not know why some people are damaged by terror and some are not. He adds that according to the Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, the