Frequently people are traumatized by traumatic events that take place their lives. We seldom anticipate these events to go on so we frequently do non cognize how to respond when it does go on. this can take to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD ) . In this assignment is the definition of PTSD. the ground why South Africa has such a high prevalence of PTSD and besides the methods of bar of PTSD will be discussed. DEFINITION OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Posttraumatic emphasis upset ( PTSD ) can be defined as a response people have to traumatic events in life and can originate as an immediate. delayed and/or protracted response ( Seedat. 2011 ) . These events can be natural catastrophes. such as a tsunami or temblor. or it can be ‘human-made’ like a highjacking or an assault. and even things like apartheid and xenophobia ( Austin. et. Al. . 2011:111 ) ( Seedat. 2011 ) . PTSD can take to a individual experiencing helpless and holding an intense fright ( Austin. et. Al. . 2011:111 ) . To name a individual with PTSD. three chief standards of symptoms must be seeable in the individual viz. the individual must be re-experiencing the traumatic event. the individual must hold an turning away associated stimilu. and the individual must hold a hypervigilance and chronic rousing ( like holding choler issues or non being able to kip ) ( Austin. et. Al. . 2011:111 ) ( Seedat. 2011 ) . These three symptoms can be in a minimal province. but all three demand to be seeable before a individual can be diagnosed with PTSD ( Austin. et. Al. . 2011:111 ) . All symptoms must be shown for a month or more and cause signifcant hurt or damage in societal or occupational countries of operation and if these symptoms carry on for more than three months it can be seen as chronic PTSD ( Seedat. 2011 ) . Different psychological factors can play a function in the development and maintanence of PTSD. These factors were identified by Edwards ( 2005c ) as emotionally straitening and debatable procedures of guilt. shame. heartache. anxiousness. dysfunctional and/or distorted knowledges. and assorted cognitive. affectional. and behavioral turning away mechanisms ( Austin. et. Al. . 2011:111 ) .

WHY SOUTH AFRICA HAS SUCH A HIGH PREVALENCE OF PTSD
PTSD is reasonably common as about eight out of 100 people will develop PTSD ( Seedat. 2011 ) . Womans are twice every bit likely as work forces to develop PTSD
( Seedat. 2011 ) . Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is really common in South Africa because of assorted grounds ( Seedat. 2011 ) . In 1997. the World Health Organization issued a survey on the Global Burden of Disease. They found that mental upsets are 2nd in load to infective diseases ( Burke. Unknown ) . There have non been much surveies of injury upsets in SA. but the bing research suggests that South Africans. particularly black South Africans. are still fighting with SA’s yesteryear. this being the apartheid which started in 1948 and lasted until 1994 ( Burke. Unknown ) . In 1997. Market Research Africa and the Community Agency for Social Equality issued a survey of face-to-face interviews with 3. 870 grownups who grew up during this clip and the consequences were that 17 % of people who had been exposed to trauma described their mental wellness as hapless. There were 2 % of people who were exposed to violent events and 78 % of this 23 % had one or more symptoms of PTSD ( Burke. Unknown ) . Most people who lived through apartheid do non endure any symptoms of PTSD. but there are those people who are still so undone by the atrociousnesss of the apartheid epoch that they still suffer the symptoms of PTSD. The symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder have many different effects for different people. PTSD can sometimes take to drug and intoxicant maltreatment. Harmonizing to a study from the Health Department released late. South Africa has the highest rates of alcohol addiction in the universe ( Burke. Unknown ) . METHODS OF PREVENTION OF PTSD

Some grounds suggests that step ining with medicines or psychotherapeutics within a short clip after the traumatic event may forestall PTSD to develop ( Seedat. 2011 ) . One possible method for the bar of PTSD is the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention ( CFTSI ) . The intent of this method is to forestall the development of PTSD within a 30 twenty-four hours scope after sing a potentially traumatic event. In a survey. a figure of 7 to 17 twelvemonth old kids were indiscriminately assigned to the intercession or to a four-session supportive Comparison status. The consequences were that the kids portion of the CFTSI had less and less symptoms of PTSD which suggests that a caregiver-youth and early intercession for kids exposed to a potentially traumatic event is a promising method to forestall chronic PTSD ( Berkowitz. Stover. and Marans. 2010 ) . Another possible method for the bar of PTSD is memory structuring intercession ( MSI ) . Surveies have
been made on how injury is processed which lead to the making of MSI. In a randomised-controlled survey. traffic accident victims who were at hazard for PTSD were assigned to two MSI or two supportive-listening control Sessionss and the MSI patients reported a significantly less frequent rousing and PTSD symptoms than the controls ( Gersons. Carlier. Lamberts & A ; Kolk. 2001 ) . Decision

Posttraumatic stress disorders can come away when people are exposed to a traumatic event. and it can go a chronic upset if it lasts for longer than 3months. In South Africa we have a high prevalence for PTSD. We think that there are more people who were portion of the apartheid epoch. that have PTSD than what surveies have shown. Not every individual understands the badness of PTSD or knows the symptoms of PTSD so they don’t realize that they have it. PTSD is non merely treatable but perchance preventable excessively. There is no definite bar method as different people handle different state of affairss in different ways. Thus it would be good if people were more cognizant of the symptoms more could be done to forestall PTSD.

Biblography

Austin. TL. . et Al. . ( 2011 ) . Schizophrenia. In TL. Austin. et. Al. Abnormal Psychology: A South African Perspective ( pp. 160-193 ) . Cape Town: Oxford University Press South Africa.

Burke. L. ( Unknown ) . The effects of truth: Post-traumatic emphasis in new South Africa ( continued ) . Retrieved April 20. 2012. from South Africa in Passage: hypertext transfer protocol: //journalism. Berkeley. edu/projects/southafrica/news/traumapart2. hypertext markup language

Gersons. Carlier. Lamberts & A ; Kolk. ( 2001 ) . Translating Research Findings to PTSD Preventionl: Consequences of a Randomized-Controlled Pilot Study. Retrieved April 21. 2012. from Spingerlink: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. springerlink. com/content/w18292635382q182/

Seedat. S. ( 2011. 03 01 ) . Depression – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Retrieved April 20. 2012. from Health 24: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. health24. com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-807-1650. 11960. asp