PTSD and the Media

PTSD and the Media

The September 11 bombing had made a great impact in the lives of those living in the States and around the globe as well . Some could still recall the vivid scenario at that time the plane collided with the building . It was such sensational news that , every station around the globe was airing it , everyone was watching it . As sickening as the likes of this news coverage are , a lot of are still unable to resist the urge to watch or read it in the magazine or news p

Media

We get up to dated facts about the community and the world from news . A research shows that there is relation between watching news about terrorist attacks and stress symptoms . However , studies still needs to be conducted regarding whether watching television of the event makes people worse or if people who have more severe stress reactions are the ones who choose to watch more television coverage of the event

Research from the September 11th , 2001 Attacks

Adults

In a national survey of U .S . adults , 3-5 days after the September 11th 2001 attacks , people reported watching an average of 8 hours of television related to the attacks . Those who watched the most coverage had more substantial stress reactions than those who watch less television coverage

Children

In the same national survey , parents reported that their children watched an average of 3 hours of television related to the bombing , with older adolescents watching more than younger children do . Children who watched the most coverage were reported to have more stress symptoms than those who watched less coverage

(Hamblen

Terrorist attacks and events 9-11 bombing has caused immense confusion and sadness . No one could tell how intense the mental and emotional effect of witnessing and watching the event . No one will ever forget such a tragic incident some may even have flashbacks of what had happen . A recollection of the events that is not only limited to the Americans but also the whole world as well because the media had played a big role in shaping the mind , in encrypting what a disaster it was Flashbacks that could also trigger bigger diss like post traumatic stress syndrome

Flashbacks

Since the silent era , the creative impacts of memory or remembrance have been used by many . It is mostly used in melodramas and avant garde movies . The essentials of using flashbacks in movie were developed as early as 1914 and the term was used as since . This is also called as analepsis or racconto in literature and films

.takes the narrative back in time from the point the story has reached , to recount events that happened before and give the "back-story " Analepsis allows a narrative 's discourse to re- the story by "flashing back " to an earlier point in the story (Wikipedia

Flashbacks were used by authors like Ford Madox Ford 's Good Soldier in 1915 and the 1927 book The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder Good soldier was novel about the tragedies and life of two perfect couples where Ford used intricate flashbacks and the Bridge of San Luis was about a single disaster intertwines the victims , whose lives are then explored by means of flashbacks to events leading up to the disaster (Wikipedia

In Psychology , Flashback is a recurring , intensely vivid mental image of a past traumatic experience

They are past traumas remembered that may take the form of pictures sounds , smells , body sensations , feelings or the lack of them (numbness . Many times , there is no actual visual or auditory memory During a flashback , the victim could have a sense of panic , being trapped , feeling powerless with no memory stimulating it . These experiences can also happen in dreams (Wikipedia

When one tries to suppress his feelings and not let others see what they are truly feeling , sometimes this bottled up emotions causes stress . Flashbacks are memories that we try to hide away

When that "bomb " explodes , the victim is experiencing the memory as if it were happening today . As the flashback occurs , we forget that we have an adult part available to us for reassurance , protection and grounding The intense feelings and body sensations occurring are so frightening because the feelings /sensations are not related to the reality of the present and many times seem to come from nowhere . During these times one can feel as if they have a lack of control , and hide away from telling friends , family , and even professional assistance hen it occurs involuntarily , the flashback may be due to a dis such as post-traumatic stress dis (PTSD , such as in cases of remembering a war trauma or sexual abuse trauma , or Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Dis , and may be related to the use of psychedelic drugs (Wikipedia

Post Traumatic Stress Dis

Post Traumatic Stress Dis is a term that first appeared in 1980 in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Diss (DSM . The development of the concept was said to be with socio economic and political implications as to veterans of war . PTSD is one of the psychiatric diagnoses in which a veteran could accept medical compensation . The diagnosis is highly controversial because of the strong connection with compensation seeking behavior and efforts and the uncertainty about the affect of this on objective diagnosis of those who may have been subjected to trauma (Wikipedia

Dr . Eric Lindemann was the first to give an account regarding systematic management of PTSD , which was in the 1940 's after the the Coconut Grove fire and tragedy . Dr . Lindemann is a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston . He defined PTSD as Posttraumatic stress dis is defined in terms of the trauma itself and the person response to the trauma (Wikipedia

Shell shock or combat fatigue was the term then because post traumatic stress syndrome was mostly associated with the symptoms that war veteran undergoes . Nowadays the term is associated with any anxiety dis brought about by flood , earthquake , plane crash , rape , assault accident , fire or any devastating event that could trigger emotional imbalance . Anyone could suffer from PTSD but the most vulnerable are the young and aged because of their less ability to cope with trauma . A recent survey concluded regarding those who suffered from severe burns 80 of young children experience post traumatic stress 2-3 years after as compared to the 30 of adults . In the United States , it said that 12 of women and 6 of men ex of men experience PTSD sometimes in the course of their lives . The most cases for women are about sexual molestations and about combat war duty for men (Morgan

The situation causing the stress reaction is defined as the "stressor but the stress reaction , and not the stressor is what jeopardizes the homeostasis (Aardal-Eriksson 2002 . Post-traumatic stress can thus be seen as a chemical imbalance of neurotransmitters , according to stress theory (Wikipedia

Post Traumatic Stress Dis Criteria

For war veterans getting claims for PTSD , there is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Diss -IV (DSM-IV ) which lists diagnostic criteria for the dis

The first (A1 ) requires that "the person experienced , witnessed , or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury , or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others " The second (A2 ) requires that "the person 's response involved intense fear , helplessness , or horror " The DSM-IV A criterion differs substantially from the previous DSM-III-R stressor criterion which specified the traumatic event should be of a type that would cause "significant symptoms of distress in almost anyone " and that the event was "outside the range of usual human experience (Wikipedia

The American Psychiatric Association enumerated conditions to diagnose the dis apart from having constant flashbacks . No less than three of these conditions should manifest

avoidance of thought and feelings associated with the trauma

avoidance of activities or situations that trigger recall of event

amnesia of the event

lack of interest in normal activities

feelings of detachment

gloomy outlook for the future

Adding up , minimum of two of the following conditions should also be evident before a patient could be diagnosed as suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Dis

1 . insomnia

2 . irritability or angry outburst

3 . difficulty in concentrating

4 . excessive vigilance

5 . exaggerated startled response

(Morgan

Post Traumatic Stress Dis Treatment

Strong reactions to trauma is normal an there is a range (spectrum ) of expected reactions depending on a person 's prior exposure to trauma and even on hereditary (genetic ) factors (0 ) Some also claim that PTSD could be due to some hormonal factors or the withdrawal of high levels of endorphin and opium body like chemicals that are released during flashbacks (Morgan , p343 ) There are effective and efficient treatments for patients with PTSD , it is curable

Medical treatments that could be applied vary depending on the severity of the case . A combination of psychotherapy and medication seem to work best for patients

Psychotherapy is a treatment based on the relationship of the sufferer and the psychotherapist . There are nine types of psychotherapy behaviour , cognitive , gestalt , humanist / existential client centered hypnotherapy , psychoanalytic , reality , rational emotive , transactional and the one used for PTSD is cognitive psychotherapy . Cognitive Psychotherapy focuses on the stressful situation that produces the symptoms and then teaches the client to monitor stress to situations and how to overcome it . The therapy could vary from one on one to family or group depending on the need and the symptoms of the sufferer

Examples of the medication given to PTSD clients are Tricyclic antidepressants drugs like amitriptyline (Elavil , imipramine (Tofrani )l , and phenelzine (Nardil ) are prescribed to help reduce anxiety and depression . Antipsychotic medications like those of Haloperidol (Haldol , or thiothixene (Navane ) is given if symptoms are severe marked by violence and agitated behavior . However , these could only be used for a brief time . If the sufferer is suicidal or destructive , hospitalization may be compulsory (Morgan

In this age of knowledge and technology , alternative therapies are being engaged in especially when patients are having problem verbalizing their anxieties and if the traditional way of therapy is not effective for them . Relaxation therapies like meditation , self hypnosis and biofeedback are used for patients with post traumatic stress dis in to calm them and help ease their mind . This has been proven effective to help fight out the recurrence of traumatic flashbacks

Biofeedback therapy requires an electronic monitor wherein the patient could see body activities . The main goal of this is to teach a person how to control bodily functions that are normally automatic or involuntary . This is usually combined with breathing exercises to treat stress related diss like PTSD (Morgan

Not all people are good at words , some are having problem using inappropriate words to convey how they feel thus instead of loosening it up , they feel more stress . This is when alternative therapies like art dance and drama are very helpful . This is good especially for children and aged ones who are more prone to hiding their feelings and who have less ways of verbalizing their anxieties

Art therapy could help alleviate the anxiety by helping the sufferer see a tangible image of his dis . Colors and pictures could lighten up one 's feelings and make him in touch . By drawing and making pictures patients are able to create an image that could provide useful information about the buried memories or suppressed feelings (Morgan

Dance therapy on the other hand is used to make patients aware that feelings can affect their muscles and movements . Its main purpose is for person who feels withdrawn to have a feeling of connectedness through facing someone when dancing or thru holding hands while they try to sway to a specific music (Morgan

Everyone suffers from pain , everyone gets beaten up sometime but how we deal with it causes the difference . It is best if we try to acknowledge the anxiety rather than hiding it . Discussing the situation or the feeling with someone close or with someone that you know you can trust could help integrate the event effectively . Support groups could also be of big help . Trying to resume normal routines as possible as it could be would also be helpful

PTSD and the Media

The media plays a vital task in influencing the level of how one would be affected by a disaster

Clearly , the media plays a critical role in the aftermath of a disaster The media provides needed information , makes announcements , and gives instructions regarding services that are available to victims and their families . Too much trauma-related television viewing may have a negative impact , especially on children . Although there is little research in this area , adults should monitor their viewing . Literature regarding children and television more clearly asserts that too much viewing of disaster related television could be harmful . in the average American household are on for more than seven hours a day . This doesn 't necessarily mean that one person is watching TV for seven hours straight , but , theless , the TV is on . Different people may watch at different times , or the TV may be on as someone is cooking or engaging in some other activity . As such , children in most American households are probably being exposed to images of traumatic events for many hours each day even though no one has made a conscious decision to expose these children to these images (Hamblen Those that are greatly affected by trauma in news or movies are the children . Parents should be vigilant in making sure that their children are not undergoing too much of these as this could result to serious diss in their later life . Experts suggest that if they it would be helpful if there would be an adult that would try to explain some of the news or event that a child is witnessing and would let extend a discussion between them that would help the child realize his emotions They needed to be reminded that news does not represent a general truth for the whole of mankind . For adults however some strategies that could be helpful would be limiting the amount of time viewing news that one knows would stress him out , opting for reading the news or journal articles and talking to people about the sad news or devastating news that you have just recently seen and you know did greatly affect you

. if parents allowed their children to watch coverage of the September 11th attacks , children may have needed it explained to them that despite seeing the plane crash into the building over and over again , this was a single incident on one day . Also , parents can help their children put the news into context by explaining that (1 ) there are many good people who will do their best to keep them safe if something bad happens (focus on the firemen and rescue teams and not just on the attack and (2 ) the news often tells us bad things that happen in the world , but most of the country is safe and most people who fly in airplanes land safely on the ground and have no problems at all . Parents can tell the child that a lot of people are working hard to make the situation safer for the future . If a child seems to be watching too much news coverage of a traumatic event , the parent can redirect the child 's attention to other more productive and positive activities (Hamblen

A flashback usually occurs amid healthy periods without any preliminary signs . It shakes the mind to its core like the experience of an earthquake . I suspect that these anxious episodes are very similar to epileptic seizures . They trigger a chain reaction felt in many parts of the brain and can be explained as subject feels depressed and afraid . He or she feels confused disassociated from reality and suffers from obsessive thoughts centered on the endless effort of easing the fear (Saito

We try to get back to normal but the more we make effort , the worse it gets . We feel we are insane . Although the person tries to get back to normal , the more he /she makes the effort the worse it gets . From my own personal experience , it is the feeling of being insane . When plagued with anxiety dis , the potential for an acute attack looms in the background constantly , and so you remain in a of anxiousness and worry . Once you have been cured from anxiety dis , and have more control over yourself , it is still possible to experience an attack . But if that happens , the attack is short lived and any effects usually last a few minutes . At the worst , a 24 hour period may be needed to completely recover from a flashback (Saito

During an acute attack , even though you feel that the turbulence of your mind will last throughout your life , that is not true and the mistaken idea is borne from depression , not rationality Just as with a giant earthquake and its after-shock , 24 hours later , the memory has begun to diminish , so that by the next morning , it is difficult to remember what went wrong in your mind (Saito

You may desire to have a psychological explanation of Flashbacks , but this is needless effort . The brain is an organ that allows our mind to function . In a flashback , we experience strong emotional pain , much of which may very well be caused by chemical imbalance . Anxiety cannot be explained psychologically , but is best understood and defined by biochemical brain science

Works Cited

Flashback .Wikipedia , 2005 . Answers .com 13 May . 2006 . HYPERLINK "http /www .answers .com /flashback- http /www .answers .com /flashback- psychological-phenomenon

Greenberg , Harvey Roy and Krin Gabbard . 1999 . Notes on the Cinematic Depiction of Memory

Department of Psychiatry , Yeshiva University , New York . 13 May 2006

http /www .clas .ufl .edu /ipsa /journal /1999_greenberg02 .shtml

Hamblen , Jessica . The Effects of Media Coverage of Terrorist Attacks on Viewers . A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet . U .S . Department of Veterans Affairs . Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma . 13 May 2006 HYPERLINK "http /www .ncptsd .va .gov /facts /disasters /fs_media_disaster .html http /www .ncptsd .va .gov /facts /disasters /fs_media_disaster .html

Hughes , James . 1995 . Diss of the Mind . Post traumatic Syndrome p167 . Larousse Desk

Reference Encyclopedia , London . Elsley House

Morgan , Barbara J . 1996 . Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome . p343 . Guide to Medical Cures and

Treatments , The Reader 's Digest Association Inc . Pleasantville New York Montreal

Saito . The Best Way to Cure Anxiety Dis . Saito Therapy .13 May 2006 . HYPERLINK "http /healmind .com /saitotherapy /flbgraphstt .htm http /healmind .com /saitotherapy /flbgraphstt .htm ...