Post-trauma Stress - Softcover

Parkinson, Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0859696626 ISBN 13: 9780859696623

Publisher: Sheldon Press, 1993

Synopsis

This text proposes a way of helping people called "psychological debriefing", which involves encouraging everyone who has been involved in a stressful situation - including policemen/women and ambulancemen/women - to talk about it, whether they feel the need or not. It challenges the "tough enough to cope" attitude which is common in the emergency services and armed forces. This book is not just for victims of major disaster, but also for anyone who has been the victim of armed robbery, burglary, a bank/building society raid or an accident. Advice is also offered about being the centre of media attention, and each chapter contains case studies.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

WHAT IS POST-TRAUMA STRESS? Post-trauma stress is the development of certain symptoms or reactions following an abnormal event. The event is abnormal in that it is life threatening or extremely disturbing, and can be anything from a minor accident to a major disaster. This includes incidents such as a divorce, riots, war, bereavement or any event that causes trauma and shock. This trauma disturbs our normal life beliefs and turns our world upside down, causing confusion, disbelief, feelings of vulnerability, a loss of meaning and purpose in life, and changes in self-image or self-esteem.

It would not be correct to assume that the symptoms are only found after the event, because they can arise earlier. Seeds of the symptoms of post-trauma stress lie not only in the nature of the event itself, but also in the lives of those who experience it.

Post-trauma stress can result from any experience that, for me, is not normal. Because it is not normal it can cause traumatic reactions. The experience should not be seen as an isolated event but rather as an ongoing situation. I bring myself-my character and personality and previous experiences-to the event. All of these, including the nature of the event, will determine how I react both at the time and later.

A man walking down a street in front of a group of apartments was hit on the head by a falling plant pot. This abnormal and unusual event shocked and traumatized the man. Later, he suffered from agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) and the fear that the same thing might happen again if he went out into the street.

Perhaps a trivial accident, it nevertheless caused emotional disturbances as well as physical pain, both at the time and later. We look at the characteristic symptoms of post-trauma stress in more detail in the next chapter.

Copyright © 2000 Fisher Books. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Sheldon Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0859696626
• ISBN 13: 9780859696623
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192