Trauma

Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
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Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
One of the disorders that would be diagnosed from the DSM is trauma and stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder. In the article, Van der Kolk (1994) seeks to look at various aspects of PTSD such as the first exploration of the disorder in 1889. Scholars such as Pierre Janet established that the disorder was a result of an experience of traumatic events in the past. Traumatic experiences that can lead to this disorder include rape, natural disasters, kidnapping, and accidents. The symptoms of this disorder include avoidance of stimuli that can remind the patient of the traumatic event. Moreover, people who have the disorder also experience emotional numbing. The other symptom is that the disorder also results in hyperarousal reactions when a patient experiences certain reminders from the traumatic event. Additionally, individuals with the disorder are also likely to overreact as well as intimidate others in responding to minor provocations.
Psychophysiological responses to traumatic disorders revolve around specific reminders or response to intense stimuli that are rather normal. When an individual experiences the disorder, the body responds by releasing stress-responsive disorders such as cortisol and oxytocin among others. DSM IV indicates that the severity of traumatic disorders depends on the onset as well as duration. Furthermore, traumatized people do not respond in the same way to stress as others do; if the pressure is high, they are likely to be traumatized all over again.

Regarding treatment for traumatic disorders, the overall goal is to help victims live in the present and avoid traumatic experiences in the past. Patients are given medication to counter the symptoms of the traumatic disorder (Van der Kolk, 1994).
References
Van der Kolk, B. A. (1994). The body keeps the score: Memory and the evolving psychobiology of posttraumatic stress. Harvard review of psychiatry, 1(5), 253-265.