The LIGHT Center, T-90, College of the Redwoods (476-4290) - October 8, 2001

A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION?
When people ask me why I decided to make a career in the area of psychology I typically respond "So I can diagnose my own disorders". I sort of feel that way right now. Is it my imagination or is everyone just a bit jumpy? It seems that I have heard more talk about rudeness and lack of social skill development, concerns about behavior, and complaints about overall conduct this semester than ever before. Is it that we are all on edge about what happened in New York and the ensueing events? I can observe in my own behavior that I take a bit more care to watch what people are carrying when they come into the building. I am also more attuned to people's psychological and emotional health when they come to see me. I realize that doing so is part of my job, however there are always "levels' of sensitivity one applies depending on the situation. Right now my meter is on "high".

In my attempt to understand my own change in behavior or perhaps outlook, I am still willing to negate that I am suffering from any psychological condition. Rather, I am responding to the events around me and around all of us. After an event like the one which took place on September 11th, there is a shared sense of horror and disbelief. The fact that we watch the details of the event over and over again on TV tends to desensitize us to it, and make it even more surreal. Eventually most of us pass through that stage and get on with our daily lives, though not totally unaffected. There are others however who focus on the event and their emotional response to it and can't seem to "let it go". Which brings us to the topic of this week's newsletter. It seems that there has been a great deal of talk in the media about PostTraumatic Stress Disorder. While we all have reactions to disasters and traumatic events, very few people actually meet the criteria of PTSD.

Approximately 8% of the American adult population is diagnosed with PTSD. PTSD is a recognized psychological disorder with defined symptomology. It can occur in both children and adults, though the manifestations of the disorder differ. There is evidence to suggest that there are elevated rates of disorder in individuals who have recently emigrated from locations in which they were subjected to social unrest and civil conflict. Studies of "at-risk" individuals have found the highest rates of incidence among survivors of rape, military combat and captivity, and ethnically or politically motivated internment and genocide. There also seems to be a heritable component of PTSD. It tends to be associated with increased rates of major depression, substance-related disorders, panic disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and bipolar disorder.

In terms of recovery from PTSD, the literature suggests that it is dependent upon the severity, duration and proximity to the event. Pre-existing mental health issues, social supports, family history and personality characteristics are also thought to play a role in recovery.

Quotation of the Week
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. -- Benjamin Franklin

DIAGNOSIS
In order to be diagnosed with PTSD, the following diagnostic criteria must be met.
1. The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following were present:
· Experienced an event that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury.
· Response involved intense fear, helplessness or horror.
2. The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one
or more of the following ways:
· Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event including images, thoughts or perceptions, dreams.
· Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring.
· Intense psychological and physiological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize an aspect of the traumatic event.
3. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma
· Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, activities, places, people associated with the trauma.
· Inability to recall aspects of the event
· Diminished interest in activities
· Detachment from others
· No expectations of normal lifespan
4. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal including difficulty falling or staying asleep, irritability, difficulty concentrating.
5. Symptoms for more than 1 month
6. Causes significant distress in social occupational or general functioning.

Comments? mailto:trish-blair@redwoods.edu