Discussion 2: PTSD and Trauma

A terrible feature about remembering is the inability to forget. For many in the military and armed forces, this inability to forget traps them with a particular feeling associated with a particular moment. As the rules of war are uncompromising, the traumatic scars, both physical and emotional, hold power in the lives of those who have faced war. Over the years, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses have expanded to include victims of rape, environmental disasters, or any other event producing insurmountable and atypical levels of stress for an individual. When exceptionally stressful and atypical events occur in life, it is natural to feel discomfort or even trauma in response to the situation. Does everyone who experiences trauma become diagnosed with PTSD?

For this Discussion, consider whether the diagnosis of trauma always leads to the development of PTSD. If not diagnosed with PTSD, think about what alternative diagnoses might be possible for a client.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 a brief explanation of whether experiences of trauma always lead to the development of PTSD and explain why or why not. Then explain possible alternative client diagnoses.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources and current literature.

References:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
  • Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
• Paris, J. (2015). The intelligent clinician’s guide to the DSM-5 (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from the Walden Library.
  • Chapter 11, Anxiety Disorders, Trauma, and the Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum
• Armour, C., Elklit, A., & Shevlin, M. (2013). The latent structure of acute stress disorder: A posttraumatic stress disorder approach. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, And Policy, 5(1), 18–25. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Koffel, E., Polusny, M., Arbisi, P., & Erbes, C. (2012). A preliminary investigation of the new and revised symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in DSM-5. Depression And Anxiety, 29(8), 731–738. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Lent, R. W. (2004). Toward a unifying theoretical and practical perspective on well-being and psychosocial adjustment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51(4), 482–509. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Santiago, P. N., Ursano, R. J., Gray, C. L., Pynoos, R. S., Spiegel, D., Lewis-Fernandez, R., & … Fullerton, C. S. (2013). A systematic review of PTSD prevalence and trajectories in DSM-5 defined trauma exposed populations: Intentional and non-intentional traumatic events. Plos ONE, 8(4), 1–5. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Media

Laureate Education. ( Producer). (2012). Psychopathology: Trauma and stressor related disorders. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu