Essay Sample on Traumatic Stress: Impact on Mental Health & Treatment Options

Introduction

Traumatic situations experienced by human beings have a mental impact on the person. Events which are scary, dangerous such as accidents, traffic collisions, sexual assault, great losses such as loss of a loved one usually leads to psychological imbalances leading to a form of stress referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder. This disorder develops as a result of life-threatening situations. There is no specific treatment or remedy for the post-traumatic disorder. However, with better living lifestyle and avoiding stressing situations, the individual can live a better life. Activities such as exercising, improving one's sleeping schedule, eating well and getting a message are ways one can reduce stress. Aside from these methods, the ecstasy drug has also been used in the treatment of the disorder. The drug heightens the functioning of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine and hence heightens one's mood thus relieving the individual from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Anxiety Analysis

PTSD is a mental health related disorder related to anxiety. The disorder occurs as a result of the individual experiencing very stressful situations. The situations are usually too hard to bear, and the individual may have never gone through the situation again (Stirman et al., 2018). Experiences such as road accidents, wars, terrorist attacks, losses, too much sickness among others. It was initially called shell shock because it was only thought to affect soldiers. Interestingly, the initial observers of the disorders linked it to a weak character (Bovin et al., 2016). However, later, the psychologists recognized that it is not a sign of being weak or exhibiting a poor character. In 1980, the condition was officially recognized and categorized as a mental health disorder.

An individual suffering from the disorder experiences frequent recurrence of the stressful scenario and they usually experience a feeling of anxiety and are scared even when they are in absence of the danger. Persons suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have situations of recurring of the event which made them suffer a lot or put them in intense stress (Cloitre et al., 2016). The changes are as a result of changes to the brain. A lot of people who suffer from the disease usually have temporary problems with coping with self-care and time.

The disorder symptoms usually begin to show one month after the occurrence of the traumatic event, however, some in some individuals the symptoms do not occur until later. It may take one year for instance for the first signs to start showing (Cloitre et al., 2016). The symptoms lead to significant social or work problems. People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder also have problems relating to others and can also interfere with the handling of the daily tasks undertaken by the individual.

The symptoms of the disorder are grouped into various categories. In the first group, intrusive memories have symptoms like an individual going through moments of recurrent memories of the distressing moment (Bovin et al., 2016). There are flashbacks which relive the traumatic event as if it happened the other day. Another intrusive memory symptom is experiencing nightmares and having dreams that are scaring and upsetting about the event (Schneier et al., 2015). Also, the individual shows extreme emotional distress and sometimes reacts physically to anything which reminds him or her of the traumatic event.

Another category of symptoms is called avoidance. The symptoms under this category involve struggling to avoid talking or thinking about a traumatic event (Stirman et al., 2018). Moreover, the individual tries to also avoid people, places or conversations that remind him or her of the traumatic event. There also occur negative changes in mood and thinking which include having negative thoughts about oneself or other people surrounding him or her. The individual may develop a hating and blame on other people due to what he or she suffered.

The person goes through moments of hopelessness and especially if the traumatic event led to loss of a body part, loss of a loved one or one that left one maimed. These people usually exhibit problems of memory which includes forgetting some important aspects of the event. In most cases a person suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have problems maintaining close relationships and most have a feeling of being detached from people they are close with like family as well as friends. They are often observed to stay in seclusion and the loose interest in the activities they once found fun in. The individual goes through emotional and physical changes which include staying alert for any danger and being simply frightened. They may also in self-destructive traits such as too much intake of alcohol or driving under the influence of drugs. They also have trouble sleeping and concentrating. Persons with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are usually very aggressive and highly irritable. They bear instances of shame or guilt.

However, the intensity into which the symptoms occur differs. A person may experience the PTSD symptoms when they are under stress moments or when they are going through situations that remind them of the traumatic moments they went through. Another factor is about the people around him or she also responded to the traumatic moments. Some may be very supportive and responsive to the needs or the person and thus helping the individual overcome the ordeals. If the people the person is depending on are not responsive to the sufferings of the individual, then the intensity of stress is usually deep, and the person may even have suicidal feelings.

Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Non-Medicinal Treatments for PTSD

There are two approaches used in the treatment of PTSD; psychotherapy and use of medications. Among the psychotherapy, methods include cognitive therapy which involves talking to the victim and helping them recover from their traumatic experiences (Schneier et al., 2015). This talk therapy entails orienting the victim to positive thinking and to live over the previous traumatic event. Another physiotherapy approach is exposure therapy where the patient is put in the same setting that caused the PTSD thus making the patient get used to such situations. This approach helps the patient face such situations with a lot of courage. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a non-medicinal approach in which the patient undergoes a combination of exposure therapy with a sequence of guided eye movements that assist in processing and reacting to the disturbing memories. Additionally, certain sound and especially music have been found to relieve the victims of PTSD. The use of music has reduced depression and improved the victim's quality of life.

Medications

Antidepressants medications have been used in healing the symptoms of anxiety and depressions. Moreover, they also improve concentration and sleep problems. In this category, various drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, paroxetine, and sertraline are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of PTSD.

Anti-anxiety medications: Ecstasy

These categories of drugs have also been observed to have a positive impact on the healing of anxiety and depression. However, they have been abused and hence can only be used for a short period of time. One of the common and famous drugs is ecstasy. Ecstasy has various impacts on the brain which enables the individual to be relieved from the symptoms of the traumatic event. The drug induces an increase in various neurotransmitters in the brain and especially serotonin. Serotonin has been observed to give an individual a good feeling. Furthermore, ecstasy has an impact on increasing other hormones such as prolactin and oxytocin. Oxytocin, also referred to as love hormone increases connectivity between individuals. On the other hand, prolactin makes one feel relaxed and therefore helpful for a person who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who suffers from anxiety. Ecstasy is also known as MDMA. Ecstasy is a drug synthetically made which when consumed has psychoactive impacts. The drug can be in tablet or powder form and comes in different colors.

MDMA heightens the functioning of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine which are neurotransmitter substances. Dopamine produces increased energy and a euphoric feeling. On the other hand, norepinephrine heightens the heart rate and blood pressure in the body. The other brain chemical, serotonin increases one's closeness to his or her emotions and leads to mood elevation which results in sleeplessness, higher sex drive and elevating one's mood. This means that the drug can affect the perception and functions as a blend of hallucinogen and a stimulant.

A person who consumes the drug has increased energy and increased emotional sensitivity. This is because taking MDMA causes serotonin which is a neurotransmitter substance to be released to the brain. Serotonin causes elevation of moods although short lived. Additionally, in the short term, the drug can function as an antidepressant. When taken, MDMA takes an average of 15 minutes to circulate through the bloodstream and to get to the brain where it exerts its impacts which lasts for a period of three to six hours. Due to these impacts on the drug, a lot of people who take them, they take them for fun and finally become dependent on the drug. People who take the drugs and they experience feelings of happiness and elevated emotional sensitivity, they link the drug with a positive psychological experience. Using MDMA may work due to its property of counteracting low moods.

When an individual gets used to taking the MDA the brain becomes dependent on it as a stimulus. This is due to physical dependence that forms on continuous use of the drug. Therefore, the brain becomes used to the drug and will only release the serotonin when the MDMA is present. In the absence of MDMA, the brain may fail to release the serotonin which is an important chemical (Sessa, 2017). Lack of release of this chemical substance may subsequently put the person under great depression and thoughts. As an individual continues to take ecstasy, they become connected to happiness emanating from the drug such that they cannot discontinue on the use or break the use. The physical and psychological reliance on this powerful drug has denied a lot of people the natural happiness. Individuals who use MDMA prior to engaging in physical activity can become dehydrated and develop to a hyperthermia condition (Passie, 2018). The use of ecstasy leads to an increased heartbeat rate. In some individuals, this may lead to instances of panic attacks, fainting, severe headache, or have seizures.

There are more undesirable side effects related to the use of ecstasy. The drug leads to nausea, trouble concentrating, feelings of depression and loss of appetite. When intensely consumed, ecstasy usually prohibits the ability of the body to regulate temperature. This has an effect of an increase of body temperature which affects other body organs such as liver and kidney which can lead to the cardiovascular system and in the extreme cause of death (Passie, 2018). The drug is also known to interfere with its own breakdown within the body and hence the user may take more than it is required thus increasing the level to harmful or toxic levels (Sessa, 2017). The use of ecstasy also leads to psychological effects such as sleep problems, extreme anxiety, confusion, sleep problems, craving for drugs and depression.

Studies have also shown that increased use of ecstasy leads to damage to the neurons that are involved in judgment, mood, and thi...