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Tenea Cannon
Bevill
ENGL 1302-11
15 April 2015
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Everyday Lives
Psychology is an interesting major that numerous people choose to go into to help many
people who need it, whether it is because of stress or trauma that they have went through. One
massive issue within psychology is posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Posttraumatic stress
disorder is when the fight-or-flight response is changed or damaged after an individual goes
through a terrifying trauma. An individual with PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when
they are no longer in danger (National Institute of Mental Health). An innumerable amount of
people develop PTSD, which is a disorder that has uncontrollable and undesirable symptoms,
after a traumatic event and are helped to learn to cope by going to a clinical psychologist. This
paper will discuss factors on how not all people going through the same event get PTSD, along
with describing various symptoms, as well as discussing what specific criteria must be met to
reach a diagnosis.
Not all people who go through traumatic events develop posttraumatic stress disorder;
there are a number of factors that lead to having this atrocious mental disorder. Some factors that
make it likely for a person to have posttraumatic stress disorder are if they are young, a woman,
poorly educated, drink a lot of alcohol, had an earlier life-threatening event, have another mental
disorder, have family with a mental disorder, and if the individual has little support after the
trauma (US Department of Veterans Affairs). An individual may also be more likely to develop
posttraumatic stress disorder if they saw people get hurt or killed during the event or if they get

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hurt themselves. PTSD may occur in an individual because they went through a trauma, a loved
one went through a trauma, or they witnessed a loved one go through a trauma. Posttraumatic
stress disorder can occur after an individual goes through war, child abuse, rape, torture, car
accidents, and natural disasters along with many other traumatic events that people may go
through (National Institute of Mental Health). There are many factors that could cause a person
to develop PTSD and it could be an unexpected traumatic event that happens on a regular day.
When two individuals go through the same trauma there could be contributing factors
that lead to one not getting PTSD while the other may get it. The individual who does not may
have a good support system or may have found a support group or therapist right after the trauma
occurred instead of waiting until symptoms developed. The person may feel good about their
actions during the traumatic event, such as if they saved someones life. The individual could
also have a coping strategy that helps them get through the event and learn from it (National
Institute of Mental Health).
Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder could have many different symptoms with
different severities. These symptoms are grouped into three types; which include reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal (Ishaq). Having one of these symptoms occur does
not mean that someone has posttraumatic stress disorder, but having multiple recurring
symptoms for a long period of time could mean that it is PTSD. In order for it to be classified as
PTSD the individual must exhibit symptoms from all three categories of symptoms (Ishaq). The
symptoms may not occur right away, sometimes they could occur months after the traumatic
event.
In addition to the symptoms that must be met for the criteria for posttraumatic stress
disorder, evidence has suggested higher rates of social problems along with other psychological

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issues in individuals with PTSD. Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder are more apt to
have drug or alcohol abuse problems. These individuals are also more likely to be involved in
risky behaviors such as driving dangerously and sexual promiscuity (Ishaq). Many people with
posttraumatic stress disorder, especially ones that survive when a loved one or a friend doesnt,
feel survivors guilt (Ishaq). Individuals with PTSD may also be likely to develop depression
and/or anxiety because of the trauma that they went through (Ishaq).
Children and young adults may have some of these symptoms mentioned; reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal, and may also have different symptoms that only
pertain to their age group. Young children may experience bed-wetting, even when they are fully
potty-trained, becoming mute, acting out the traumatic event during play time, and being
unusually clingy with a parent or other adult. Older children or teens may begin to act out and
start to be disrespectful or disruptive, when this is not the usual behavior that is seen in them
(National Institute of Mental Health).
The symptoms that affect the individual can vary in intensity and frequency. Some
veterans may not be able to drive a car at all for fear that they would be blown up by a roadside
bomb, while others only have this fear when they see something that reminds them of the place
that the traumatic event happened to them. Some may also have a hard time not being in control
of a situation. For example, being a passenger in a vehicle can cause anxiety in a person who
suffers from PTSD.
According to Jesse Cannon, he developed PTSD when he was in Iraq while serving in the
Army as a Cavalry Scout. An IED, known to civilians as an improvised explosive device, hit the
heavily armored vehicle he was driving injuring him and killing six of his friends on Memorial
Day in 2006. Mr. Cannon tells of his symptoms, which include flashbacks, being easily agitated,

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avoiding certain situations, as well as trouble with cognition and not being able to sleep . When
he first got back from overseas he avoided driving but has gotten past that symptom. Jesse does
avoid his feelings in many situations which is part of the avoidance category. He uses things like
SCUBA diving and golfing to help when his symptoms get the best of him, and sees a clinical
psychologist to help cope.
Post traumatic stress disorder is easily linked to psychology and this could account for
why many individuals that have PTSD go to clinical psychologists for help with their problems.
Posttraumatic stress disorder is classified as a mental disorder in the Diagnostics and Statistical
Manual or DSM, which is the standard manual for diagnosing mental health disorders by
psychologist around the world. To be diagnosed with PTSD as well as other mental disorders a
person must exhibit specific signs and symptoms for a certain period of time that is all
predetermined in the DSM diagnostic section (DSM).
Clinical psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on mental, emotional, and
behavioral disorders. Clinical psychologists are the ones that handle any individuals with
posttraumatic stress disorder. In order to do this, they must go to a clinical psychology
postgraduate program to get a doctorate, or PhD (British Psychological Society). This is a feat
alone because it is harder to get into clinical psychology school than it is to get into med school.
Clinical psychologists make generous salaries and that is for a good reason; they go through
approximately eight years of school, numerous late nights, and bounteous hard work to get to the
position that they are in.
No person should have to deal with something like posttraumatic stress disorder, or the
undesirable symptoms that come with it however developing PTSD is uncontrollable. Clinical
Psychologist play a pivotal role in combating this disorder that plagues so many veterans, as well

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as civilians, who may have suffered a horrific event. Being a part of something that is designed
to help so many who are haunted by horrific memories, and help them overcome them to live a
somewhat normal life must be a great feeling and hopefully. Going to a clinical psychologist
helps these men and women that have a unavoidable disorder known as PTSD to hopefully
return to a happy and healthy life.

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Works Cited
British Psychological Society. British Psychological Society. Web. 6 April 2015.
Cannon, Jesse. Personal interview. 4 April 2015.
"DSM." American Psychiatric Association. n.d. Web. 13 April 2015.
Ishaq, Masrita. "Psychodynamic considerations on clinical work with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder." Counseling Psychology Review 29.1 (2014): 41-47. Ebsco.
Web. 4 April 2015.
National Institute of Mental Health. National Institute of Mental Health. Web. 6 April 2015.
US Department of Veterans Affairs. US Department of Veterans Affairs. 10 November 2014.
Web. 4 April 2015.